


Enter the Inquisition

by TheInkredibleKaptainKaiju



Series: The Owl Chronicles [2]
Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Canon Divergent, Certain characters aren't the same as in canon, Gen, More characters to be added, Pre-AoaW, but only partially, somewhat oc-centric, you'll know what i mean
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:00:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 46,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27887170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheInkredibleKaptainKaiju/pseuds/TheInkredibleKaptainKaiju
Summary: Just when it seemed like Luz's life had taken a turn for the better, in comes a whole new bunch of trouble. A mysterious group of witches has come to town, under orders from Emperor Belos himself to capture her and Eda. Luz has faced ex-boyfriends before, but does she have what it takes to go up against the Inquisitors?
Relationships: Eda Clawthorne & Luz Noceda
Series: The Owl Chronicles [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1985549
Comments: 8
Kudos: 22





	1. The Inquisitorius Magicus

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, I'm back! Sorry I've been away for so long, school's been rough... But I'm done now, so hopefully I should be back to a consistent schedule now. For now, enjoy!

**~Enter the Inquisition~**

Chapter One: The Inquisitorius Magicus

______________________________________________________________________

The Conformatorium. Dark, cold, and foreboding. It was within this towering prison that Mattias Archoman had spent the last two weeks. If one were to listen carefully in the silence of the cells, one could hear a faint scraping sound from within one of them. Mattias dragged a clawed nail up and down the wall, adding a twelfth tally mark to his count. He let out a low growl, his eyes scanning the room beyond his bars. He didn’t belong here. Not because he hadn’t committed any crimes--that he had, he wasn’t ashamed to admit. But he was far too important to be stuck in here with common thugs and vandals. He was an Archoman. He wouldn’t put up with this treatment.

Where was that guard? Every day, at exactly seven o’clock in the evening, a guard doing his rounds passed by Mattias’ cell. That cone-faced punk must be shirking his duties. If Mattias ran this place, he wouldn’t put up with such incompetence, that was for sure. A Dominum Signum or two would work wonders around here. And why stop at the guards? Surely some of these prisoners could do with a little...rehabilitation.

Five minutes or so late, the guard eventually made an appearance. Mattias pretended to be deep in thought, staring at the floor as the guard rounded the room. Just as he passed his cell, he spoke. “Any word from his majesty?” he said. The guard stopped in his tracks, and Mattias knew he had hooked him.

The guard doubled back. “Emperor Belos has better things to do than have an audience with lowly criminals like you,” he said.

“Are you sure?” Mattias said. “After all, I am no mere criminal. I am the heir to the Archoman fortune.”

“Last I checked, that was your brother,” the guard said.

Mattias waved his hand. “Details, details. The important thing is, criminal or not, Archoman or not, I have important messages for him. It would be a shame if they were unable to reach him in time…”

“We’ll see about that,” said the guard. Without another word, he strolled onwards, continuing his patrol.

Mattias glared at him as he left. “Yes,” he muttered under his breath. “We will see.”

______________________________________________________________________

Mattias scraped another tally mark onto the wall. Sixteen days. He was beginning to run out of patience, and he hadn’t had much of that to begin with. There was only one way he was getting out of here, and it relied entirely on these incompetent guards. Speaking of, where was that one guard? It was nearly seven-thirty. Mattias growled--what use was being of such high status if he was simply left to rot in a place like this?

Soon enough, the guard showed up, moving no more hastily than usual despite being so tardy. Mattias did notice that his eyes shot from place to place much more frequently than usual, as though he was looking for something. “About time you got here,” Mattias said, his voice dripping with venom. “I was worried some of the other inmates were about to escape!”

“What? Really?” said the guard, freezing in place. He looked around, before his gaze settled on Mattias. “I--wait...you aren’t serious, are you?”

Mattias rolled his eyes. “Nevermind! Has my request to speak with the emperor been granted yet?”

The guard looked around again. “Oh, I, um...this is my first day, I don’t really...know about stuff like that.”

Mattias sighed. This wasn’t the same guard. They all looked exactly the same! Still...he could use this to his advantage. “Then I take it you don’t know who I am?”

“N-not really,” the new guard stammered. “They don’t tell me who’s who in here, I’m just supposed to keep ‘em in the cages. ...Why? Who’re you?”

“Does the name ‘Archoman’ sound familiar?”

“A bit, yeah.” This was good. “They’re, like, this really big crime family around here, right? Do you know them?”

“Idiot, I  _ am _ them,” Mattias muttered. “Mattias Archoman, heir to the Archoman estate.” He held out his hand for the guard to shake. He almost took it, but stepped back at the last moment. Mattias continued on. “I have been trying for quite some time to receive an official pardon from the emperor, but nobody in here will so much as give me the time of day. Surely you, as a loyal servant of his will, would be willing to accomodate my request?”

“Now, hang on…” said the guard. “Why would Emperor Belos want to pardon a criminal like you?”

Mattias wanted to accost the guard for his idiocy, but held his tongue. “You know the rules. Anyone arrested for defying the emperor’s will shall be forgiven, provided he pledges his eternal loyalty to Belos. Correct?”

“Yeah…” the guard said hesitantly. After all, that was an official law.

“And that even applies to lowly scum. And connections to the underground my family may have had, we were nevertheless powerful and influential--surely not scum. So why should I not be granted a second chance?”

The guard was quiet for a moment, as though considering. “I...should go. I’m late enough as is.” He wandered off down the corridor, casting one last glance back at Mattias.

“Put in a good word for me to your superiors, would you?” Mattias called after him. He leaned back against the wall once the guard had left, wearing a self-satisfied grin. It was only a matter of time now…

______________________________________________________________________

_ Let me begin by saying how much of an honor it is to be in your presence _ ...no, that was no good. He didn’t want to sound like a sycophant.  _ Very wise of you to have accepted my offer _ ...too far in the other direction!  _ Greetings, my emperor! _ ...too casual.

Mattias wracked his brain, trying to decide exactly what he should say when he was granted an audience with Emperor Belos. Most people would spend most of their effort trying to determine how to be granted that audience in the first place, but Mattias was assured that it would come. All he had to do was wait. Today was day nineteen, it couldn’t be long now...

“If it isn’t ‘the heir to the Archoman estate’ himself.” Mattias’ ears perked up at the unexpected voice. There weren’t supposed to be any guard patrols until later. He turned around, but saw nobody.

“Indeed it is,” he said. “And for someone so smug, why do you feel the need to hide in the shadows, when I am already caged?”

A low growl informed Mattias that he had struck a nerve. A masked figure much taller than the usual guards emerged from the shadows. “Watch yourself, Archoman,” said Warden Wrath. “I’m the one who controls your fate now.”

“Wrath.”

“Mattias.”

“So,” Mattias said, “I take it someone finally approached you regarding my offer?”

“Hardly,” Wrath said. “I’ve gotten several complaints regarding you. Which is hardly surprising, considering you harass any guard that passes this way with your ludicrous requests.”

“And yet, despite how ‘ludicrous’ they seem, you still found it necessary to see me yourself?” Another growl from the warden. “Did you come here to accept?”

“I came here to threaten you,” said Wrath. “Emperor Belos wants nothing to do with the likes of you. Your grandfather and father already went behind his back with your ‘business.’ Why should he hear you out?”

“Because, I’m a changed demon!” said Mattias. “I’ve seen the error of my ways, and I wish to offer my sincerest apologies!” Neither of them believed it. “In any case, I want to give him my loyalty. It’s the only way out of this cesspool.”

“Oh, is that all?” said Wrath. “Very well. I’ll see to the necessary paperwork.” He began walking away. “Should everything check out, in a matter of months, you should be--”

“Not good enough,” Mattias said. “I want to speak to the emperor myself. In person.”

Warden Wrath turned around. Although he wore a mask, Mattias could tell his expression was one of mildly-amused disbelief. Not that his expressions were readable, anyway… “In-person pardons are only granted to those accused of high treason, or who have connections to the Emperor’s Coven,” he said. “Neither of which apply to you.”

Mattias thought about bringing up his family’s high status again, but decided against it. “True, true. But what I do have is important information for the emperor. And as I have explained ad nauseum to your guards, it is imperative that I deliver it to him as soon as possible!”

“If it is as important as you say, then you have certainly been wasting your time,” said Wrath. “Tell me now, and I will deliver it to him myself.”

“Unfortunately, I can’t do that.” Mattias pretended to look around nervously. “I cannot risk it being leaked.”

Wrath angrily approached Mattias’ cell. “And what is so important that you can’t tell me now? The Conformatorium is the most secure location on the Isles!”

“I’m not so sure,” Mattias chuckled. “Remember that little prison break some time ago? A wanted fugitive broke in and set several prisoners loose. That doesn’t sound so secure to me.”

“A one-time incident, I assure you!” growled Wrath, clenching his fists. “If this information you have for the emperor is truly so important, then tell me now!”

Mattias shook his head. “I can’t take that risk. After all, it involves the ringleader herself. Eda Clawthorne.”

For a split second, Wrath froze. “You have information about Eda?”

“That I do,” said Mattias, nodding. “The most notorious criminal on the Boiling Isles, and the Emperor’s most wanted. I would love to relay it to you here, but I’m afraid the risk is too high. One of her associates could be listening as we speak…”

“You’re bluffing,” said Wrath. “Nothing you have could be that important.”

“Perhaps,” Mattias said with a shrug. “But are you willing to take that chance?”

Wordlessly, the warden returned to the shadows, leaving the room. He sent one last glare at Mattias, who shot back a grin. Once Wrath was gone, Mattias reclined on his bunk.

“Only a matter of time…”

______________________________________________________________________

“Out of my way, you! Move!” declared the diminutive demon. Despite each one being nearly three times her size, the members of the Emperor’s Coven hurriedly jumped to the side as she walked past. They both opened the doors to the emperor’s throne room, which Kikimora entered.

Emperor Belos sat atop his throne, the sprawling room dimly lit by firelight. A tremendous heart hung behind him, still beating. He glanced up when the doors had opened, his hollow eyes focused on his assistant. “What news do you bring, Kiki?” he asked, his voice soft yet powerful, although carrying a hint of tiredness.

“News of the most excellent kind, my emperor!” she said. “Reports have just come in that our forces have quelled the insurrection in the lower Wastelands! Their leaders are being transported to the Conformatorium as we speak.”

“Excellent.” Belos briefly glanced at two figures beside him. On his left was a figure cloaked in a brown cape, their face hidden behind a mask. On his right was a witch with dark hair--Lilith Clawthorne. “Their defeat will serve as an example to all who would doubt me--none will dare defy the will of Belos.”

“Quite so, my emperor,” said Kikimora. “...Oh! There is one other thing.”

“Continue.”

“On the subject of the Conformatorium, one of the prisoners wishes for a pardon. He claims to pledge his loyalty to you.”

Belos cocked his head slightly to the side. “Why am I being informed of this? Have Wrath fill out the paperwork, and grant him his pardon. Surely I do not need to be informed of  _ every _ criminal who wishes for a pardon, yes?”

“Very true, my emperor, but that’s just it--he requested an audience with you, to be granted his pardon in person.” Belos leaned forward, but did not speak. “His name is Mattias Archoman.”

Lilith was taken aback. “Mattias…” she said softly.

“Archoman.” Belos pondered this name. “Now, where have I heard...Ah. Yes. Archoman, of course. Was this not the same family who claimed to be at my service, but cultured crime and disorder behind my back?”

“The very same, my emperor,” said Kikimora. “However, Mattias claims to have nothing but loyalty left for you.”

“All of them claim something similar,” said Belos, waving his hand dismissively. “He may have his pardon, but an audience with me is out of the question.”

“Although, there is one minor detail, my emperor,” Kikimora continued, wringing her hands. “He claims to have information regarding the whereabouts of one...Edalyn Clawthorne.”

A long silence filled the room. After a moment, Belos moved to stand. “Has he--” He attempted to pull himself up from his throne, only to fall back. He let out a sharp breath, a hand clutching next to his heart. He held out his arm. “Lilith.”

Wordlessly, his top enforcer approached, taking his arm and helping him to his feet. He walked away once he was standing, and she let go.

“Has he given any indication as to what sort of information it is?” Belos asked.

“He has not,” Kikimora replied. “Only that he refuses to divulge it unless he can deliver it to you personally.”

Belos brought his hand to his chin, considering the possibilities. His gaze traveled to Lilith, to the masked operative, and back to Kikimora. Soon enough, he spoke.

“Have him brought here.”

“My emperor!” Lilith exclaimed, stepping forwards. Belos simply held up a hand, silencing her.

“At once, my emperor,” said Kikimora. She hurried out of the room, leaving the three alone.

Once she had left, Belos turned to face Lilith. “You may continue.”

Lilith did so. “My emperor, I can’t abide this! You’re willing to grant Mattias Archoman not only a pardon, but an audience with you!? You know what he has done! What he is capable of.”

“I do,” said Belos. “Which is precisely  _ why _ I am granting him an audience. We can use him to our advantage, you just wait and see.”

“But my em--”

Belos brought a hand up to his head, breathing heavily. “I must retire for now,” he said. “Wait for my return.” He stepped out of the throne room through a side door, leaving the two alone.

Lilith turned around to see that the operative was looking at her. “Shut up,” she said.

______________________________________________________________________

Day twenty-one. Mattias was surprised to see that two guards were approaching his cell. Not only that, but one of them approached the lever, opening the bars. He sat still for a moment, before realizing what this meant.

Warden Wrath approached. “Today’s your lucky day, Archoman,” he said. “Looks like Belos has taken an interest in your plight.”

Mattias grinned, standing up. “I guess my patience paid off!” he said.

“Don’t celebrate just yet,” said Wrath. “You’d better hope that little information you have is worth his time.”

“I wouldn’t worry,” Mattias said, as the guards escorted him. “I’m sure he will be most pleased…”

______________________________________________________________________

The emperor’s throne room looked much like it did before, with the added detail of numerous covensmen standing guard, each one gripping a magically-charged pike. Belos rapped his fingers against his throne, waiting for the prisoner to be brought in. Lilith stood by his side, gripping her staff so that her knuckles were almost white. Kikimora glanced up at her occasionally, averting her gaze whenever she looked back.

At long last, the doors slid open. Warden Wrath entered, kneeling in front of the throne. “My emperor,” he said.

“Rise,” said Belos. Wrath did so. “Present the accused.”

Wrath retreated to the front of the room. “Bring him in,” he called. A pair of guards entered, a thin figure with batlike features standing between them. His arms were bound with magically conjured chains.

Once Mattias was in the center of the room, the guards left him there. Though they didn’t move, the covensmen all focused on him. All eyes were trained on him now.

“Speak.”

Mattias looked up, directly at the emperor. “Emperor Belos. Thank you for accepting my request for a pardon.”

“I’ve accepted your request for an audience,” said Belos. “Whether or not you are worthy of a pardon remains to be seen.”

“Of course, I understand completely,” said Mattias. “Now...is there anything I can do to prove to you that you have my utmost loyalty?”

“Start with the ‘urgent information’ I’ve heard so much about,” Belos said. “What have you found out about Eda?”

“Ah, it is both most interesting and most disturbing, what I have learned,” said Mattias. “Eda the Owl Lady continues to defy your orders, only now, she is not alone. She has taken a young apprentice under her wing, no doubt to bolster her efforts to topple your rule!”

A brief, sharp breath came from Belos that could have been laughter, had it come from anyone else. “I have heard of Eda’s apprentice,” he said. “The young witch does not concern me. If that is all you have for me, I suggest--”

“Oh, but that is only the interesting part!” Mattias said. “The disturbing part is what comes next. You see, having an apprentice is not alone cause for alarm. However, I have seen this young girl myself. Both she and Eda have confirmed that this apprentice...is a human.”

Belos looked as surprised as one hidden behind a mask could look. “A...human?” he whispered.

“Indeed, a human,” said Mattias. “A child of Earth. And I cannot tell you exactly how, but it seems Eda has indeed found a way to teach it magic!”

Belos looked down at Kikimora. “Why was I not informed of this?” he growled.

“I was unaware of it myself!” Kikimora replied. “There were rumors of human sightings in Bonesborough, but...I believed them to be merely rumors!”

“Oh, they are no mere rumors, miss!” said Mattias. “Not only is a human running around loose on the Isles, but it is under the tutelage of the Owl Lady herself!” He looked Belos directly in the eyes. “I’m sure you know personally how dangerous this is, my emperor.”

After a brief hesitation, Belos nodded. “Indeed. I take it if you were granted a pardon, you would do something about this?”

“That I would,” Mattias said. “On your terms, of course.” His hands went to his back, and before anyone knew what was happening, the chains binding him vanished. 

He spread his arms, one of his hands gripping his staff. The covensmen present all leveled their pikes at him, but he remained nonchalant. He began addressing the entire room, not just Belos.

“We all know just what danger Eda poses, but this is something else entirely! If she was somehow able to acquire a human, who’s to say she couldn’t find more? If she could teach it magic, who’s to say that she couldn’t teach the others as well? If this is allowed to continue…” He looked back up at Belos. “We could have an army of humans on our hands.”

“I’ve heard enough,” said Belos. “Take him away.”

“Yes, my emperor,” said Wrath, ordering the guards to apprehend Mattias. “Back to the Conformatorium with--”

“On the contrary, Warden, have him taken to the dungeon. I’ll need him close by if we are to move against Eda’s army.”

Lilith did a double-take. “What?”

“Of course.” Wrath, his guards, and the covensmen all escorted Mattias to the dungeons. Despite this, he radiated an aura of satisfaction, knowing that the emperor had taken his bait.

Eventually, only four remained in the throne room. “I can’t believe you fell for that,” Lilith muttered.

“And who’s saying I did?” said Belos. “Kiki? Go and contact our agents at once. Tell them that I need our ‘side-project’ ready by tomorrow evening.”

“Of course, my emperor.” After giving a little bow, Kikimora scurried out of the room. Belos gave a nod to the operative, who left as well, leaving him and Lilith alone.

“I’m not sure I understand,” said Lilith. “Clearly, all Mattias wants is power. You intend to give it to him?”

“I intend to give him the  _ illusion _ of power,” Belos replied. You yourself asked me if I knew what he had done, and what he is capable of. I know indeed.” He looked up at Lilith. “By giving him this power, we will be able to keep him on a short leash, while also solving the issue of your sister.”

“But my em--”

“You want Eda to join the Emperor’s Coven, do you not?” said Belos. “To see her healed from her curse?”

“I do, more than anything, but I--”

“And despite this, after all this time, you have consistently failed to bring her in yourself. Is that correct?”

Lilith said nothing, looking down at the floor.

“Indeed. It’s time we put this in the hands of someone with less...compunctions regarding this issue. Someone who won’t let her get away out of pity.”

“Are you sure this ‘Inquisition’ or yours will be worth it?” she asked.

Belos stared off into the distance, his hands clasped behind his back. “We shall see, Lily. We shall see.”

______________________________________________________________________

Two figures walked through the darkened hallway: Mattias and Belos. “You’ve made a wise decision, accepting my help,” said the former. His outfit had been traded for the uniform of the Emperor’s Coven. A white cape trailed behind him as he walked.

“That remains to be seen,” said Belos. “As it stands, your knowledge, background, and experience have made you the best choice de facto to lead this team.”

Mattias nodded, smirking. “The obvious choice. Although…you have yet to explain exactly what sort of team it is I will be leading.”

Belos stopped, Mattias doing the same. “I have ruled over these lands for nearly fifty years. And in that time, none have evaded my capture quite like Edalyn Clawthorne. After all this time, she refuses to join her sister at my side. My coven has searched for her for years, but Lilith does not have the strong arm necessary to bring her in. And if what you say is true, and she is indeed amassing an army of humans...we must do something before it is too late. And that is where you come in.”

“All of this in just a few days’ notice?” said Mattias. Impressive.”

“No,” said Belos, “I’ve had plans for this for quite some time. A branch of the Emperor’s Coven, formed for the sole purpose of locating Eda Clawthorne and bringing her to me. It is only now that it has become necessary. Nine elite operatives, with you as their leader.”

“Quite an honor,” said Mattias. The two resumed walking.

“I have decided to take a hands-off approach to this operation,” Belos continued. “You are to send reports to Kikimora regarding your progress, but aside from that, you are free to approach as you see fit.” He turned to face Mattias. “The only condition: Eda and her apprentice are not to be seriously injured. Both of them are to be brought in alive.”

Mattias felt that this was an odd thing to ask, especially from someone like Belos, but waved it off. “Consider it done, my emperor.”

The two reached a door at the end of the hallway, guarded by two members of the Emperor’s Coven. The twin covensmen opened the door, revealing a dark room on the other side. Mattias stepped in, and was greeted by the site of eight figures, all of them different shapes and sizes.

“These will be your Inquisitors,” Belos announced. “The finest warriors and spellcasters from across the Boiling Isles. With them at your command, you will bring Eda to me, and restore order to the land.”

Belos drew a spell circle. From a burst of crimson flames came a mask, pure white, and with a curved nose. On its forehead, it bore the symbol of the abomination coven.

“I hereby appoint you High Inquisitor Mattias, leader of the Inquisitorius Magicus,” said Belos, handing him the mask. “Uphold my rule throughout the darkest corners of the Isles. With my power, weed out the dark forces who would undermine my will.”

Mattias took the mask, placing it over his eyes. As soon as it touched his face, he could feel a surge of power, not dissimilar to when he had covered himself in power glyphs. “I will, my emperor!”

Belos gestured into the room. “Your team awaits.” Mattias noticed that they each wore a mask like his. “Introduce yourself.”

Mattias walked into the room, facing the other Inquisitors.  _ Finest warriors and spellcasters, eh? Lot of freaks and misfits, more like _ , he thought.  _ Still...I couldn’t ask for a better way to get my revenge on Eda and her pet! _

A strange group they were, indeed. A crime boss. A gladiator. A rebel. A rogue doctor. An oddity. A madwoman. A celebrity. A bounty hunter. And a mercenary. None could say exactly where Belos had found them all, but one thing was certain:

The Inquisition had begun.


	2. New Sheriffs in Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Inquisition arrives in Bonesborough.

Chapter Two: New Sheriffs in Town

______________________________________________________________________

The streets of Bonesborough were quiet, abandoned. Everyone had either fled from the destruction, or had taken shelter inside. Stormclouds darkened the city below, with only two lights illuminating the city square. As rain poured down from the skies, two figures faced one another. Emperor Belos gripped his staff, and his opponent, the Great Witch Luzura gripped hers.

“YAHAHAHAH! You’ll never be able to destroy me, Luzura!” exclaimed Belos, in a raspy voice that Luzura imagined he sounded like. “My  _ evil _ magic is  _ far _ too powerful for your  _ good _ magic!”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Belos!” said Luzura, pointing a finger at her opponent. “For my magic is not just my own: it is the magic of all the people of the Boiling Isles. And for as long as I stand as their champion, our hearts will beat as one!” Her staff began to glow with a warm yellow light.

“HA! Such noble nonsense!” drawled Belos. His staff glowed as well, with a frigid blue light. “The rule of Belos will never end! Allow me to show you why!”

Belos aimed his staff at Luzura, sending an enormous stream of blue flames her way. In a burst of yellow fire, Luzura launched herself into the air, before sending a barrage of fireballs at Belos. Faster than the eye could see, Belos dodged each one, leaping up to meet Luzura in the air.

The two witches collided, flying up higher into the clouds. From below, the townsfolk could see flashes of blue and yellow like lightning bolts in the sky. Then, like a meteor, Luzura fell from above, landing with a crash back down in the square. As she pulled herself up with her staff, Belos descended to meet her.

“So  _ this _ is the ‘great hero’ I’ve heard so much about!  _ HA _ ! Some hero! As though a human could ever stand up to  _ me _ !”

“I  _ am _ a human…” said Luzura. “...I’m the human that’s going to end your reign of terror, and set the Boiling Isles free!”

Belos surrounded himself in flames. “What is a human? A miserable little pile of secrets! But enough talk... _ DIE _ !” The flames around him took the shape of an enormous serpent, which lunged at Luzura. Digging deep down into her reservoir of remaining strength, Luzura summoned a fiery serpent of her own. The twin snakes collided, each combatant struggling to consume the other in the blaze. Slowly, Belos’ blue fire began to overtake Luzura’s yellow.

“Ugh...he’s too powerful!” cried Luzura, the force of the attack pushing her back. “I can’t give up...but I can’t defeat him on my own!”

“You aren’t alone, Luzura,” came a voice. “You have all of us, right behind you!”

“W-what? Eda?” said Luzura. “Where are you?”

“Somewhere safe, with the others.” Hidden in a bunker somewhere, Eda used her divination magic to communicate with Luzura telepathically. “You may be the only one strong enough to defeat Belos, but we’ll always be here for you!”

“Yeah! We’re here for you, Luzura!” said Willow.

“We’re all behind you, one hundred percent!” said Gus.

“Hmmph...I guess I’ll be here too,” said Amity, aloof as always.

“Everyone…” A single tear fell from Luzura’s eye, sparkling in the firelight as it fell to the ground. “We can do this, together!” With one arm holding her staff, she reached her other hand towards the heavens. “Now! Lend me your energy!”

Eda held out her hand. “If you’re giving your all, it’s only fair that we do, too! Take it!” she exclaimed. The other people in the bunker began to follow her example.

Willow held out her hand as well. “Take mine, too!”

Gus did the same. “And mine!”

After a moment of hesitation, Amity thrust her hand forwards past the others. “Go beyond, Luzura!” she cried emphatically.

Luzura closed her hand, holding it close to her heart. “I can feel it...the power of my friends, my family, flowing through me! Belos...taste the power of a hundred hearts beating as one! PLUS ULTRA!”

Luzura thrust her arms out to the side, dissipating both streams of fire. “What is this?” said Belos. “This aura...no! Impossible!”

“For me, ‘impossible’ is a four-letter word!” said Luzura. “Now feel my power!” She flew towards Belos, their staffs colliding with a resounding shockwave that covered almost the entire town. For a brief moment, the rain stopped falling, having been blown away by the force of the attack.

“No...I can’t believe this!” shouted Belos, staring down at the two halves of his staff.

“Believe it!” Luzura said triumphantly. “For I am Luzura, defender of the Boiling Isles!”

“Emperor’s Coven!  _ Retreeeeeat _ !” Belos yelled, making a break for it, accompanied by all of his lackeys. All except for one. Luzura reveled in her victory for a moment, until she saw who was left.

“Suggestion noted...and ignored!” said the cloaked figure, removing his hood to reveal the face of…

“Mattias!” said Luzura. “Emperor Belos’ most ruthless lieutenant! Why are you still fighting, when your master has turned tail and fled?”

Mattias scoffed. “Belos is no master of mine! I fight only for myself...and you stand in my way, Luzura!” Driving his staff into the ground, he raised his hand to conjure a dozen abominations from the cobblestone beneath him.

“I have vanquished Belos, I will vanquish you as well!” said Luzura, racing towards her new opponent.

“You will try!” Mattias thrust out his staff, urging his creations forwards. The abominations merged into a single whirlwind of sludge, ensnaring Luzura before she could reach him.

“No! I c-can’t move!” cried Luzura as the mass of purple slime covered her, growing tighter and tighter. As she struggled, the mass seemed to cover her more. Mattias sneered as the abominations covered her face like a blanket. Tighter, darker, hotter…

______________________________________________________________________

“Mph! Gah!” Luz sprang upright, dropping King from her face down onto her lap. “King! What was that about!?”

The little demon was none too happy with being thrown from his sleeping spot. “What!?” he said defensively. “It’s not my fault your face is the comfiest spot!”

Luz sighed good-naturedly. “Well, we might as well get up now,” she said. She got out of bed, scooping King up in her arms as she headed down to the kitchen. “What’re we gonna do with you?”

“Let me sleep in?” he suggested.

“Maybe just not on my face next time!” Luz giggled. “Morning, Eda!”

“M’rn’,” said Eda, leaning over a cup of apple blood. Her eyes were baggy--it seemed that she just woke up as well. “How’dya sleep?”

“Good!” said Luz. “I had a pretty good dream. Of course, King woke me up…”

“He’ll do that,” Eda said. “Lemme guess, he decided your face made a good cushion?”

“Is that a thing he does?” said Luz, smiling.

“ _ Oh _ yeah, all the time,” Eda said. “Anyways…” She stood up, yawning as she walked over to the cabinet. “Thinkin’ about goin’ down to the market today. You comin’, or no?”

“Sure! School doesn’t start for a little while, I’d love to tag along!” Just as quickly as she had sat down, Luz stood up once more, grabbing her bag.

“Today’s a school day? Sheesh, doesn’t that place give you any breaks?” said Eda. “‘Course, when I was a kid, I skipped every other day…”

“Almost,” Luz replied. “We get the whole week off for St. Bludworth’s Day in about two weeks. I’ll bet we can fit in a whole lot of magic training when…” All of a sudden, Luz went quiet. Her face darkened, as though she had just remembered some recent tragedy she had been trying to forget. “Oh, no…”

“Kid? What’s the matter?” Eda stepped closer to the girl, concerned, but not quite yet worried. “Something going on with school? That Boscha kid isn’t still giving you trouble, is she?”

“No, it’s not that,” Luz said sadly, rubbing her arm. “It’s just...remember that camp I told you I was supposed to be at?” Eda nodded. “It’s ending in two weeks. If all the other kids come home but me,  _ Mami _ ’s going to be worried about me...”

“Well, don’t worry, there’s an easy fix for that!” said Eda. Although she was trying to console Luz, she herself sounded a touch melancholy under her cheerful exterior. She held up the magic key around her neck, and pressed the eye. A door appeared from out of the ground, opening up to reveal a white glow. “When the time comes, you’ll be able to see your mommy again!”

“Thank you, but that’s not why I’m worried,” said Luz. “I know I can leave the Boiling Isles, but I...I don’t  _ want _ to. I feel more at home here than I ever did back on Earth, like I  _ belong _ here. I don’t want to leave you behind, or King, or Gus, Willow, Amity, any of the people I’ve met here.”

“Or Hooty!” called Hooty from outside.

Luz giggled. “Or Hooty,” she said. “Don’t get me wrong, I love her, and I know she loves me, but I don’t know if my  _ mami _ would approve of me...well, being here.”

As all Eda knew about Luz’s mom had come from the girl herself, she had no way of knowing if that was true or not. “Luz...your mom loves you, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Luz answered, nodding.

Eda put a hand on the girl’s shoulder. “I’ll be the first to admit, I don’t know a whole lot about mom stuff. But I know that if she loves ya, I’m sure she’ll be just fine with you coming over once in a while to see everyone again. Maybe not at first, but she’ll come around.”

Luz cocked her head to the side. “How can you be so sure? How do you know she won’t ground me for life, or forbid me from ever setting foot on the Boiling Isles again?”

“Because my mom was the same way,” said Eda. She averted her gaze, smiling fondly. “Back when I first got this curse, she was one of the only people who wasn’t scared of me. She was always there, and she always made sure I was okay whenever I transformed. She…” Eda trailed off for a moment, before she turned back to Luz. “My point is, if your mom is anything like my mom, she’ll want you to be happy. Even if she might be mad at first, it’s just ‘cause she’s worried about ya.”

Gradually, Luz smiled. “You’re right,” she said. “You know, you’d make a great mom, Eda.”

“Psh, no thanks!” said Eda. “Maybe an aunt or something. I don’t need no snot-nosed brats ruinin’  _ my _ bad girl lifestyle!”

Luz giggled. “So, should we get going?”

“Yup.” Eda levitated har bag into her hands, and she and Luz towards the door. “Ya know, when that camp thing ends, it’s not like you’ll never be able to come back here again.” She pointed to the key. “The door’s always open!”

“Yeah,” said Luz. “I’m just going to miss living here, is all.”

“Well, if you’ve only got two weeks left, we might as well make the most of them,” Eda said. “Hows about we get some of that candy you like?”

“Those ice scream bars with the gumball eyes?” said Luz excitedly. “Today just took a turn for the better!”

______________________________________________________________________

“Hrmmm…” Eda stood in front of a stall, her eyes shifting back and forth between a pair of shrunken heads. On the one hand, one was a few snails cheaper than the other. On the other hand, it might be cheaper for a reason. There was a chance it would burn out before she could get her money’s worth; it was always hard to tell.

“Ma’am, not to rush you, but could you hurry it up?” said the shopkeeper. “You’re holding up the line.” A grand total of one person stood behind Eda, and they seemed more interested with some sort of hubbub going on nearby.

“Alright, alright,” Eda grumbled, fishing out her coin pouch; she decided it would be worth it to splurge a little. “Alright, Luz, what’s next on the list? ...Luz?” She looked around for the girl, who seemed to be staring in the same direction as the person behind her.

“Huh?” Luz turned around. “Oh, right, sorry about that.” She walked back over to Eda. “What’s going on over there, anyway?”

Eda shrugged. “Thought you knew.” She turned back to the shopkeeper. “Is there some sort of sale going on I don’t know about?”

“Nah, the Emperor’s Coven is scheduled to make some sort of announcement today,” he said. “Something about a new branch or whatnot.”

Eda rolled her eyes. “Gag, no thanks.” She nudged Luz. “As if this ‘new branch’ has any more chance of catching us as the old ones, right?”

Luz, however, was deep in thought. “A new branch, eh?” she said to herself. “What if that dream I had...wasn’t just a regular dream? What if it was a  _ prophecy _ dream? Eda, I figured it out!”

“Figured  _ what _ out?” asked Eda, stuffing the shrunken head into her bag.

“...I don’t know,” admitted Luz. “But shouldn’t we check this thing out? If the Emperor’s Coven has some sort of new branch, wouldn’t it make sense for us to know about it? That way we can be prepared if we have to tangle with them later!”

“Yeah, I think I’ll pass,” said Eda. “It’ll probably just be Lily rambling about the latest batch of recruits or something.” However, when she noticed Luz’s bummed expression, she added, “Hey,  _ you _ can check it out if you want, just as long as you stay out of sight. Report back to me, alright?”

Luz lit back up immediately. “Will do!” she said. “And don’t worry about me being spotted, because I’ll be…” She flipped up her cat-ear hoodie. “...in disguise!”

Eda grinned. “Right. Your mission is to collect classified intel on the Emperor’s Coven’s latest plot. Titanspeed, agent!” Luz saluted, hurrying off towards the gathering crowd. “And meet me back here when you’re done!”

Between the tightly-packed people and the murmur of voices, Luz couldn’t see or hear what was going on in the square. Rather than push her way through the crowd, as she didn’t want to draw unneeded attention to herself, she opted to find a way to where the crowd was less dense. Through breaks in the people and noise, she could just barely make out what looked like a carriage of some sort, as well as a steady pounding of some sort; it almost sounded like footsteps, but they were far too heavy to belong to a regular person.

Soon, Luz found a place where she could see from. A shop in front of the town square had a raised porch, which seemed to be absent of people. She climbed up the few steps and walked over to the railing, where she saw what the fuss was about.

It was definitely a carriage she had seen, and a very large one at that. It was as big as some of the buildings it rolled past, and it needed three wheels just to hold it up. Almost as big was the figure pulling it: an ogrish man, three times as tall as most of the people in the crowd and just as broad, pulled the carriage behind him like a rickshaw. He had rough brown skin, and a multitude of horns emerging from his head and his shoulders. He wore the black suit and white cape signative of the Emperor’s Coven, as well as a curved white mask over his eyes.

“Well, this  _ does _ seem like something Lilith would ride in,” said Luz. “I think.” She watched closely as the carriage pulled to a stop. A multitude of cone-faced guards were nearby to control the masses, not that they seemed to need controlling. The ogre stepped forward and turned to address the crowd.

“Citizens of Bonesborough!” he said, his voice bellowing and impossibly deep. “This is an important announcement from the Emperor’s Coven! Listen well!” He hammered on the side of the carriage, causing a trapdoor on the roof to flip open. A similarly-dressed figure rose up to the stage.

This second figure stood still for a moment, as though making sure absolutely every eye present was on him. Luz couldn’t help but feel that something was familiar about this man. And then, when he spoke, it hit her. “People of Bonesborough, on behalf of Emperor Belos, I bid you greetings.” Luz gasped lightly; she knew that voice, knew it all too well. She hadn’t recognized him with the mask and outfit. When someone tries to kill you, you don’t forget their voice easily.

“Mattias,” she whispered. “But, w-what’s he doing here? Wasn’t he supposed to be in jail? Why is he working for the emperor? Does this mean it  _ was _ a prophecy dream?”

Mattias continued. “It has come to the emperor’s attention that a certain fugitive of justice had continually escaped notice in this humble town. I am speaking, of course, of our very own Eda the Owl Lady.” Murmurs picked up in the crowd. “Indeed, the Boiling Isles’ most wanted. It seems a million-snail bounty was not enough. And worse still, we have reason to believe that she is no longer working alone in her schemes.”

Mattias snapped his fingers. Some of the guards and covensmen began to distribute papers to the crowd. One found its way up to where Luz was standing, and she found it was a wanted poster. Of her. Quite a few liberties had been taken, as Mattias had likely had this made from memory, but it bore enough of a resemblance to her that she pulled her hood on tighter, just in case.

“The Owl Lady has taken an apprentice. And it is no mere witch she has following her--she has chosen a  _ human _ to be her protege.” Once again, he spat out the word ‘human’ as though it physically hurt his lips to say it. More murmurs from the crowd, which seemed to be of disbelief and incredulity. “Make no mistake, this is no mere rumor! I have witnessed this foul creature for myself, and the magic it is capable of conjuring! Indeed, you heard correctly: against all natural laws, the Owl Lady has found a way to allow a human to use magic! And mark my words, if this is allowed to continue, it will only be the first of many servants! For we have reason to believe that Eda intends to build an army with which to overthrow Emperor Belos, crown herself empress, and usher in an age of untold suffering!”

If Mattias wasn’t so heated, Luz would have rolled her eyes. He was clearly making this up as he went, and yet, he seemed so genuine in his ranting and raving that he was almost intimidating despite his overblown performance.

“Fortunately, Emperor Belos, in his limitless wisdom, has a solution. And that solution...is us.” The doors to the carriage opened, and several more figures stepped out. It was hard for Luz to make them out from where she was standing, but, counting Mattias and the ogre, there appeared to be seven of them, each one wearing identical masks. “The emperor has assembled nine of the strongest, most cunning, most loyal warriors from across the Isles. We are the Inquisitorius Magicus! Together, we will hunt down Eda the Owl Lady and her pet, Luz the human!”

Luz decided that she had heard enough. She began to walk away as Mattias continued his spiel, but was drawn back by a particular note:

“Of course, your cooperation will be necessary,” Mattias said. Reluctantly, Luz stepped back up onto the porch. “Anyone found aiding the Owl Lady of her apprentice will be apprehended. This includes doing business with either of them, sheltering them, or not coming forward with any information you may have. All of this is for your own safety, of course. If we are to capture the Owl Lady once and for all, we must work together.”

Luz sighed, leaning over the railing. “Of course,” she muttered. “I’m starting to think maybe Eda was right about not coming.”

Down near the carriage, a bit of movement caught her eye. One of the ‘Inquisitors’ had nudged another, and was whispering something to them. Luz leaned in closer, only to jump in surprise when both of them looked directly at her.

The second of these two pointed her out, even as she tried to hide beneath her hood. “That’s her!” came a voice. “That’s the human!” The crowd began turning towards her as well, noticing that the Owl Lady’s apprentice was indeed among them.

Luz was startled, but her fear didn’t turn to panic until Mattias spoke again. “Well, well, well. It seems our job just got a little easier. Inquisitors--after that human!”

Luckily for Luz, the large crowd meant that the Inquisitors were blocked at first, giving her a few seconds head start to run away. Of course, it wouldn’t be that easy, as several Emperor’s Covensmen appeared on the street in front of her, blocking her escape. Given the sounds behind her, the Inquisitors were gaining.

“On second thought, maybe Eda  _ should _ have come along!” said Luz. “Or maybe I shouldn’t have…” She slipped down a side alley, hopefully avoiding her pursuers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the abrupt ending, I decided to split this chapter into two. We'll get to the action-y part next time!


	3. On the Hunt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luz tries to escape from the Inquisition while encountering some of their number.

Chapter Three: On the Hunt

______________________________________________________________________

“In hindsight, maybe showing up to a big announcement by the people I’m a fugitive from wasn’t the best idea,” Luz muttered as she climbed over a fence, running through somebody’s garden. She hopped the fence at the other side, ending back up in the maze of concrete and brick. With the Emperor’s Coven on her heels, she hurried down another alleyway, hoping that this one wouldn’t be a dead end. “How was I supposed to know they’d be looking for me specifically?”

Off in the distance, though not as far as she would have liked, Luz could hear the chatter of guards and covensmen searching for her. Did Belos really want to catch her that badly, that he had put together an entire team for it? Though given who was leading it, the Inquisition was probably a revenge scheme from Mattias. But the emperor also wanted to capture Eda, did that make Luz an accomplice? It did seem likely, given the Inquisition’s two main targets. Though, again, revenge scheme.

As Luz was wondering why exactly Emperor Belos was so dead-set on catching Eda, lo and behold, this alley was also a dead end. “Ah, figures. Probably should have seen that coming,” she said. Nearby, she heard a pair of voices and footsteps, both headed in her direction. She clapped her hands over her mouth. “Probably should stop talking to myself, too…”

Luz didn’t have any glyphs with her, and there was nothing to draw with or on. Luckily, just nearby was a runaway’s best friend: a pile of assorted junk. She darted over, hiding herself underneath a wooden pallet and discarded tarp. Quietly hoping she wouldn’t draw the ire of any rats, or the Boiling Isles equivalent, she sat as still as she could as two figures arrived in the alleyway.

“Well, no sign of her. We tried, let’s go.”

“Quiet. We can’t just give up that easily.”

Two voices, a man and a woman. Two pairs of footsteps approached Luz’s hiding place, though neither Inquisitor gave any indication they knew where she was. As they stepped into view, she could only see them from the knees down: one walked on a pair of bird talons, and the other had brown skin that brought to mind the roots of a plant.

“And why not?” said the male voice. “She’s a human. Last time I checked, they can’t leap over eight-foot walls in a single bound. We should just let her go, and start focusing on the bigger picture.”

“She may be human, yes, but the ‘bigger picture’ also taught her to use magic,” replied the female voice. “We don’t know what she’s capable of, but Mattias doesn't exactly paint a pretty picture.”

One of the pair walked over to the wall opposite Luz to lean against it. She could now see that his legs weren’t the only thing plant-like about him: he himself was a walking flower. A greenish upper body underneath his white clothes, and a large white flower blossoming out of the top of his head. It looked like some type of lily, Luz thought. He wore the same mask as the other Inquisitors Luz had seen, only his had a glowing green emblem above the eyes. Luz recognized it as the mark of the plant coven.

The plant creature scoffed. “And with no bile sac, no palisman? How is she supposed to do this magic? Wear one of those stupid tophats and wave a magic wand? Make a rabbit appear from nowhere? Maybe saw someone in half?” He cackled at the absurdity. “I’d pay admission for that.”

“Mandrake, take this seriously,” said the other one. She walked over to him, and Luz could see her clearly now as well. She was a sharp-featured woman with blue skin, and short feathers of a similar color instead of hair. Her fingers resembled talons, and a pair of wings extended from her back. Her mask was the same, only hers bore a light blue glowing mark of the illusion coven.

“I won’t take this seriously, because it’s a waste of my time,” the one apparently called Mandrake said. “Belos isn’t paying me to play tag with some brat.”

“Belos isn’t paying us at all,” corrected the woman.

Mandrake rolled his eyes, waving his leaflike hand. “Ah, like you’d care either way. Come on, let’s just put in a token effort so we don’t get another earful from Archoman.”

“Hey! You guys! Over here!”

Luz was both surprised and confused to hear her own voice. The Inquisitors were as well, given how they didn’t move, only turning towards the ‘human.’ Luz shifted her position as quietly as she could, and saw her exact double at the other end of the alley. It waved tauntingly at the two, making no effort to run away. Her mind immediately went to illusion. This seemed too straightforward to be Edric and/or Emira’s work, so Gus was probably somewhere nearby.

The bird-woman and Mandrake glanced at one another. “Huh. Easier than I thought,” said the latter, drawing a spell circle.

“Wait, that’s--”

A vine shot up from the ground next to the Luz clone, wrapping around its form. Rather than becoming captured, the clone vanished into a puff of smoke. Yup, illusion.

“--just a trick,” the woman finished, shooting the man an irritated glance.

Mandrake was quiet for a moment. “You know...maybe you  _ do _ have a point. If she can conjure up an illusion of herself of that quality, then that is one seriously gifted human we’re after.”

“I could have told you that,” said the woman. “But gifted or not, she still had to be nearby to manifest the illusion. Which means she’s likely around here somewhere.” She looked around, as though she could see through walls, trying to determine the human’s location. “Get to looking.”

Mandrake stood upright, shrugging. “At this point, maybe she  _ did _ leap over an eight-foot wall.” Luz could just make out his body turning to face the pile of junk she had hidden herself underneath. “Or maybe…”

Luz clamped a hand over her mouth, holding her breath. Mandrake walked over, peering behind some boxes just feet away from where Luz was lying.

“Come out, come out wherever you are,” Mandrake said. “Come on, kiddo, make this easy for me…” Fortunately, there was enough trash to warrant searching through several potential hiding spots. But Luz didn’t have anywhere to go once he found her. She didn’t have any glyphs. Could she fight her way out? She could certainly try. Did Eda even know where she was? Crap, where was Eda during all of this? They didn’t catch her, did they? They couldn’t have, right?

Just as Mandrake’s hand was about to lift up the tarp and reveal the hiding human, another voice broke the silence, this time one Luz didn’t recognize. “Oi! Caelano, Mandrake! Some bloke says ‘e saw the ‘uman down by the docks!” He was probably another Inquisitor, but Luz was nevertheless grateful for his (unintentional) timely intervention.

“On it!” the bird-woman, Caelano, called back. “You go with Loxton, I’ll get an aerial view.” Luz heard the sound of flapping wings rising into the air and travelling into the distance. And judging by the footsteps, Mandrake and that Loxton guy had raced off as well.

Once she was sure they were gone, Luz breathed a sigh of relief, standing up from her hiding place.  _ Okay, new plan: there’s too much heat in Bonesborough right now, so head back to the Owl House and wait for Eda. No, scratch that--look for Eda, and if I can’t find her, I’ll _ \--

Luz’s internal planning was interrupted by yet another voice, this one thankfully of the familiar variety. “Psst! Luz! Over here!” She turned in that direction to see Gus waving at her from behind a nearby wall.

“Gus!” Glad to see her friend, Luz quickly made her way over. “What’re you--Woah!” Before she could ask, a vine wrapped itself around her waist, pulling her into his same hiding place. Thankfully, this wasn’t Mandrake’s doing, but that of another of Luz’s friends. “Willow! You’re here too?”

“Yup!” said Willow. All three of them were now tucked behind a short wall, away from prying eyes. “And we got here just in time, by the look of things.”

“But, how did you know where to find me?” asked Luz. “...Did it have something to do with my prophecy dream?”

“We were at that big announcement, and we saw you running away,” explained Gus. “We followed behind after those Inquisitor guys, and--I’m sorry, your what now?”

“Prophecy dream,” said Luz. “Last night, I had a dream that told me everything about the Inquisition! It’s like I could see the future!”

“Really?” asked Willow, intrigued. “So, your dream told you about the Inquisitors?” She pondered this fact for a moment. “Maybe we could use that to our advantage…”

Luz shrugged. “Well, it didn’t tell me  _ everything _ . Just that the Inquisition would be a thing. ...Okay, not the Inquisition specifically, but an organization like it. ...Alright, I dreamt I had an anime fight with Belos, and Mattias was there. But that counts for something, right?”

Willow and Gus shared a glance. “...Does it?” asked Gus. “I mean, not to sound rude or anything, but that kinda just seems like a coincidence.”

“I…” Luz was about to argue, but couldn’t think of a rebuttal. “Okay, maybe it is. But still, Mattias was in my dream, and now here he is!”

“Don’t remind me,” groaned Willow. “What’s that creep doing working for the emperor, anyway?”

“I don’t know, but his cronies are all over the place,” said Gus. “We’ve gotta get Luz to safety somehow.” He looked down. “Those two didn’t chase after my illusion like I thought, they just magic’d it away. I don’t think creating clones is going to work this time.”

“So,” said Willow, “we’ll have to come up with something else.”

“Don’t worry about that!” Gus continued. “I happen to have a foolproof plan!”

“Ooh, a plan!” said Luz. “What is it?”

______________________________________________________________________

“Well,” said Luz, “this isn’t the  _ worst _ plan we’ve ever had…”

“But it’s not the best,” said Willow.

“Don’t worry, it’ll be fine!” said Gus. “They’re looking for Luz, so they won’t bother us if you aren’t Luz!”

In theory, it wasn’t a bad plan. Gus had used his illusion magic to make Luz look like a completely different person. Rather than create someone completely new from scratch,which he said would have taken too much time, he had used one of their classmates as a template--Bo, Luz thought her name was. Bo was friendly to pretty much everyone, so she wouldn’t look out of place hanging out with Willow and Gus as opposed to, say, Boscha or one of her gang. Now all they needed to do was get out of the city without raising any suspicions.

Emperor’s Guards and Emperor’s Covensmen patrolled the streets, their eyes scanning for both the human and the Owl Lady. As concerned as Luz was for her own safety, she was even more worried for Eda. “You don’t think they got her, did they?” she asked.

“Who, Eda?” said Willow. “I doubt it. She’s made it this long without being caught, right? And even if they did find her, there would have been a fight, right?”

“Right,” said Luz. “One we would have heard from anywhere in town, probably!”

“My point exactly!” Willow said.

The trio tensed up as a patrol of guards wandered past. Though they tried their best to act natural, Luz was sure that their averted eyes and hunched shoulders had the opposite effect. Luckily, the guards were too preoccupied to notice the suspicious teens, and passed by without incident. All three of them sighed in relief.

“But, back to Eda, that just gives us more problems,” Gus said. “If she’s good enough at staying hidden that people whose job it is to find her can’t find her...how are  _ we _ supposed to find her?”

“I was worried about that, too,” Luz said. “I figured I’d just head back to the Owl House, but I don’t want to just leave her here! She doesn’t know where I am! What if she thinks I’m still here, hiding somewhere, scared out of my mind? What if she thinks they caught me!? I don’t want to do that to her!”

“Luz, don’t worry!” said Willow, placing a hand on her shoulder. “We’ll figure something out. Is there anything Eda told you to do if something like this happened?”

“Not really,” Luz said. “I usually stick pretty close to her when we go out. I  _ assume _ she’d want us to meet back up at home, but...I don’t know. She might be there, she might not be.”

“Then here’s what we’ll do:” suggested Gus. “Once we get far enough out of town, you head back to the Owl House, and we’ll come back here in case Eda’s still looking for you. She knows us, so she’ll probably ask if we’ve seen you.”

“Perfect!” said Willow. “What do you think, Luz?”

“I don’t know…” Luz said hesitantly. “I guess we don’t have much choice, do we? Not with the guards still looking for me.”

“Wait a minute…” said Willow. “What if we asked a guard? We can figure out if they’re still looking for you, and if they’ve seen Eda anywhere. We’re just a couple of kids--they won’t suspect a thing!”

Luz was worried for a moment, but then remembered her disguise, courtesy of Gus’ flawless illusory powers. “Okay, but...don’t say anything too specific. Just act like a random bystander!”

Willow nodded. They singled out a lone guard, who would be easier to escape from in case things went south. He seemed to be talking to someone, who Willow couldn’t see. With Luz and Gus hanging back a few feet, she approached the guard. “Excuse me,” she said, trying to sound as innocent as possible. “Have you caught that human yet?”

“Eh?” The guard turned to face the three of them. “Just a minute, I’m--” He stopped, staring at the young witches, Luz in particular. Willow could see why now that he had turned: standing behind him, the person he had been talking to, was Bo. The real one.

None of the witchlings moved. The baffled guard repeatedly turned his head between the real and fake Bo. Luz’s eyes met hers, and she gave the human a look of sympathy.

“Two of the same person,” said the guard, still sounding confused. “This can only mean one thing...one is a fake!” He then picked up one of the Bos...the real one. “Aha! I’ve got you now, human! The jig is up, reveal yourself!” Gus, Luz, and Willow bolted, rounding the corner before he even realized they were gone. The guard looked back and forth between Bo and the vanished trio, and put two and two together. “I, um...you, er...you’re not a human, are you?” Bo shook her head. Sighing in disappointment, the guard placed her back on the ground, hanging his head.

“No offense,” Bo said, “but you’re not very good at this…”

“I know,” moaned the guard. Bo pat him on the arm.

Luz’s disguise vanished as the three hurried to get away from the area as fast as they could. “Of all the people we could have run into!” Gus lamented. “Why couldn’t I have picked someone else?”

“For what it’s worth,” Willow said, “I’m the one who suggested we talk to a guard!”

“Guys, it isn’t either of your faults,” said Luz. “Are we being chased?”

Gus looked behind them. “I don’t know,” he said. “Did anybody else see us?”

“In here!” Willow had noticed that the door to a nearby warehouse was opened slightly. The three witches slid underneath it, hoping to avoid any pursuers.

Once inside the warehouse, which Willow had made sure was empty, they hid themselves behind some boxes. There didn’t seem to be anyone on their tail, so they seemed to be in the clear. “Doing a lot of hiding today,” Luz observed.

The three of them sat down to catch their breath. “I don’t get any of this,” said Gus. “Why is Mattias working for the emperor? Wasn’t he a criminal?”

“He must really hate me and Eda if he’s willing to work for Belos to get revenge,” said Luz.

“Maybe Emperor Belos is making him,” suggested Willow. “This could be his punishment: ‘Find the human and I’ll set you free,’ or something like that.”

At this talk of revenge, Luz had a sudden thought. “Hey, guys? I just realized something. We all took down Mattias together. It wasn’t just me and Eda, you two and Amity helped, too. You don’t think he’d...go after you, do you?”

Gus’ eyes went wide. “I hadn't thought of that!” he said. “Are we fugitives now!?”

“No, we aren’t fugitives,” Willow said. “Even if Mattias does want revenge, Belos wouldn’t let him go after some random kids. Especially not since he has kids himself.”

“I hope you’re right,” said Luz nervously. “Mattias being here is putting everyone in danger, not just--wait...did you just say that Belos has  _ kids _ ?”

“Yup,” Willow continued. “At least, that’s what all the books say. I haven’t read any that say who they were exactly, but he apparently had a family back in the day. Whoever they are, nobody’s seen them in years.”

“Huh,” said Luz, pondering this fact. “Belos is a family man. I never would have guessed.”

“Me neither,” said Gus. “Do you think that--”

Gus was silenced by a sudden noise above them. The three of them stiffened as an unseen something clambered from a nearby rooftop onto the warehouse. The heavy footfalls from whatever this was were accompanied by animalistic grunting and growling. The trio retreated further behind the boxes.

Luz peered out from their hiding spot to see if the creature would reveal itself. Instead, she noticed something appear not from the roof, but from the floor--a figure literally rose up through the ground. They were slightly transparent, and dark blue in color, possessing four arms and a ghostly tail rather than legs. Dark shapes resembling vague hints of a skeleton could be seen inside their body, as well as a white mask on where she assumed its face was.

Almost at the same time as this specter appeared, another figure dropped in from a window on the ceiling--another Inquisitor, given the clothing. This second figure was tall and lithe, their weight supported by four long clawed toes on each foot. Their skin was a faded shade of orange, and a pair of antlers extended from their head.

“Who’re those two?” whispered Gus.

“More Inquisitors,” said Luz. “Keep quiet, I think they’re about to talk.”

“That’s an odd choice, coming in through the window,” said the ghostly one. Her voice was whispery and raspy. “I never realized you were one for theatrics, Sanguinus.”

“We can’t all phase through walls, Stygma,” said the other one. His voice, in contrast, was deep and firm. “Has there been any sign of the girl?”

“I would have thought you, of all people, would have found her by now,” Stygma replied. “Has your pet really not caught her scent yet?”

“Ophelia has never smelled a human before, she doesn’t know what to look for,” said Sanguinus. “I’m sure she will pick it up before long.” He thought for a moment. “Has Grace seen anything else?”

“Hmm, let me think about that,” said Stygma, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Has Grace seen anything? You know, I don’t think she has.”

Sanguinus walked away from her, and she followed. “I think you know what I meant,” he said irritably. As they drew closer, Luz could see that Sanguinus seemed to have scales rather than skin. Stygma didn’t seem to have a mouth, but a pair of piercing yellow eyes shone from behind her mask. Her mask bore the glowing symbol of the healing coven, while his bore that of the beastkeeping coven. “She was the one who first sensed the human, after all.”

“I’m not an oracle, so I wouldn’t know,” said Stygma. “But I don’t need to be one to know that we won’t find her just sitting around in here.”

“Very well,” Sanguinus said. “We haven’t searched the residential district yet. I’ll take Ophelia in that direction, you double back towards the square.”

“Sure,” Stygma growled. She hovered towards the wall and phased through to outside, while Sanguinus leapt up a stack of crates back to the skylight. After a moment, the creature on the roof jumped down to the ground and ran off into the distance.

“I hate to say it, but you and Eda have your work cut out for you,” said Willow. “Something tells me these Inquisitors aren’t like your average everyday guard of covensman.”

“It sure seems that way,” said Luz. “I’m not too worried, though. Eda can handle them, for sure!”

“I hope you’re right,” said Gus. The three of them cautiously made their way out of the warehouse, moving slowly in case anyone was nearby to spot them. “So, back to the plan?”

“I think so,” said Luz. “How far are we from the forest now?”

“Not too far,” Willow said. “If we’re lucky, we should be able to get there without running into any more guards.

“I didn’t think we’d run into any guards in there,” said Luz. “We’ll have to be on our guards if we want to get out of here without--”

“ _ Hoo! Hoo! _ ” Luz jumped at the sudden sound from above her. She looked around to determine the source of the noise, until she finally saw a small owl perched on top of the warehouse.

“Owlbert!” The palisman flew down from its perch to land on Luz’s shoulder, affectionately nuzzling her neck. “I don’t think I’ve ever been more glad to see an owl before!” Luz said, stroking his feathers. You can take me to Eda, right?”

Hooting again, Owlbert nodded, taking flight over to another building. He circled in the air before looking back to Luz, as though imploring to follow.

“Alright, I think we’re in the clear!” said Luz. She turned back to Gus and Willow. “Can you two make it back okay?”

“Yeah, we’ll be fine,” said Willow. “Don’t worry about us. Say hi to Eda for me!”

“Will do, bye!” Luz said, waving as she hurried after Owlbert. Gus and Willow headed back to town, all of them hoping not to run into another Inquisitor.


	4. Shrike

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mysterious guest arrives at Blight Manor.

Chapter Four: Shrike

______________________________________________________________________

Mattias stood atop his carriage, his hands clasped behind his back as he waited for news regarding the human. All--or most--of his Inquisitors had given chase, so surely at least one would be able to find it, right? Eda may have given it her magic, but at the end of the day, a human was still a human.

“This is bad business,” said a voice. Mattias glanced over as a very old woman climbed through the door to the carriage’s roof. Her skin was light purple in color, and her wispy white hair fell to her shoulders. She wore the Inquisitor’s uniform, and her mask, which lacked eyeholes, bore the symbol of the oracle coven.

“Of course it is,” said Mattias. “Eda and her pet human just wander the streets here, and nobody seems to mind. Mark my words, things are going to go badly for the entire Isles if we can’t catch them. Now, can you see where either of them are hiding?”

“I remember the last time a human came to the Boiling Isles,” chuckled the woman, seemingly ignoring Mattias. “ _ That _ was bad business.”

“You can’t even remember your own name, you old bat!” said Mattias, before pondering the nature of that insult. “...In any case…what does your inner eye see?”

“Everything, and nothing,” the woman said. Mattias rolled his eyes.

“Inquisitor Mattias! Inquisitor Gracious!” The enormous ogre that had pulled the carriage approached them. His mask bore the symbol of the construction coven.

“What is it, Briares?” asked Mattias. “Some good news, I hope.”

“I bring news, but it is not of a good nature,” said Briares. “Inquisitor Caelano has informed me that the human girl has been lost. Not guard nor Inquisitor nor covensman has seen her for some time. It would seem her trail has been lost.”

Mattias scowled, shaking his head. “She walked right into our grasp, and none of you could catch her. This doesn’t bode well for our future.” He turned back to Briares. “Give the order for all Inquisitors to return. We’re heading back to the Emperor’s palace.”

“Already done, Inquisitor Mattias,” Briares said. “The others will return after one last sweep of the area.”

One by one, the Inquisitors began to return. Caelano came first, flying in from above. Mandrake appeared not long after her, and Stygma showed up next. Mattias turned to Briares: “Is Sanguinus still travelling separately?”

“I believe that is the case,” said Briares. “Him and Ophelia will meet us at our destination.”

Lastly, an Inquisitor walking with a self-confident swagger approached the carriage. He was a creature with red skin, and instead of hair had a crest folded back on his head, giving the appearance of a ponytail. On his mask was the symbol of the bard coven. “Well, that’s it, then?” he said. “Just pack it up and leave? We just got ‘ere!”

“We need to regroup,” said Mattias. “Unless you’d rather stay here?”

The bard looked around at the town. “You know what? I think I will. I ‘aven’t ‘ad a venue like this in years! And while I’m playing, I could be your man on the inside, yeah? Keep you posted on any strange ‘appenings ‘round ‘ere?”

“Fine, whatever you want,” Mattias said dismissively. “But you’re still on the clock, understand? This isn’t just to bolster your ego!”

“I got it, I got it!” he said. “I’ll put on a concert or two, and see if either of them show up.” He looked around again, before glancing through the windows of the carriage. “Is...is everyone back?”

“Everyone who will be,” said Mattias. “Why?”

He continued looking around as though he was afraid of something. “What about...what’s-’is-name? I don’t see ‘im, has ‘e gone with ya?”

Briares stepped forward. “Inquisitor Shrike has other business to attend to in Bonesborough. He will return once he has finished.”

The red man sighed. “That’s a relief, that is. I dunno what it is about ‘im, but that Shrike character just skeeves me out, ya know?”

“Whatever you say,” said Mattias, stepping back into the carriage. “And don’t waste your time here with your music, you’re an Inquisitor now!”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, boss!” he said, saluting as Briares took his place at the front of the carriage. With a grunt of exertion, he began pulling the vehicle on its way back to the Emperor’s palace, leaving the bard alone. He turned around, scanning the town square. “Now then...this looks like a perfect spot for a venue!”

______________________________________________________________________

Odalia Blight frowned. Not that she didn’t already do this quite a bit, but this time, something had prompted her expression. She had not been expecting any visitors, especially not at a time like this. So who was that knocking at the door? Whoever it was, she had better things to deal with right now. “Emira dear? Can you see who’s at the door?” No answer. The mystery visitor knocked again, ever-so-slightly more forceful this time. Odalia huffed in irritation, making her way to the door herself.

She opened the front door, and was surprised to see the shape of an Emperor’s Covensman standing there. No, rather...this wasn’t a covensman, but they did look similar. They wore a similar black outfit, and a white mask that covered their face completely. A long, grey beak extended from said mask, and a glowing symbol of the potions coven sat between their gaping black eyeholes. They were slightly hunched over, and wore a cape draped around their shoulders that seemed to be made out of autumn leaves. They held a long staff in both hands, with which they supported their weight.

The figure bowed respectfully. “Good afternoon, Madame Blight,” he said, in an oddly deep voice for such a frail-looking person. “I apologize for arriving at your home unannounced, but I was sent here in regards to your daughter, Amity Blight.” He held out his hand. “Forgive me--my name is Inquisitor Shrike, of the Inquisitorious Magicus. A pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Odalia raised an eyebrow. She held out her hand, but rather than take his, she drew a spell circle between them. A slight violet glow covered Shrike’s form, before fading. Content that he was not hiding anything, Odalia took his hand, albeit reluctantly. “A pleasure. You said you were here about Amity--did Miss Clawthorne send you?”

“As a matter of fact, I was sent by Belos himself,” said Shrike. “It is, however, in regards to her magical aptitude. I...May I come in?”

“Of course,” said Odalia, stepping aside to allow Shrike to enter. He shambled through the door, following his host into the living room. “Alador?” she called into the house. “Alador!? We have a guest!”

From upstairs, a trio of figures leaned over the banister, listening to what was being said. “I don’t like this…” said Amity.

“Why not?” said her brother. “He said he’s here about your ‘aptitude.’ He’s probably just here to praise you for being such a  _ good _ student, like all the others.”

“Yeah. Let’s face it: if he was here to talk about ‘behavioural issues,’ he’d be here about us,” her sister added.

“That’s not what I meant,” said Amity. “I just...Look, if he asks to see me, just say I’m not here. Or say I’m busy, or something, just cover for me.” She retreated to her room.

“Amity, what’s this about?” asked Edric. “I’ve never seen you this nervous about someone from school before. Well, aside from...you know. What’s wrong?”

“Do you know something we don’t?” asked Emira.

“I’ll tell you later,” Amity said. “Just do me a favor. I owe you after this!” She closed the door, ready to pretend that she was busy, or not at home. The twins shrugged, and headed downstairs.

Shrike sat down on a plush couch that Odalia ushered him towards. Although she couldn’t see his eyes, she could tell he was examining the room, making note of everything. He still held tightly to his staff--it was nearly twice as long as any other staff she had seen, and rather than have a palisman placed on top, there was a knot that twisted off into two tines pointing upwards.

A stern-looking man descended the staircase, regarding the strange figure. “And who might this be?” asked Alador, regarding him.

Before Odalia could answer, their guest got to his feet. “Master Blight, it is an honor to formally meet you,” said Shrike, bowing. “You are very highly-regarded among my peers. The both of you are.”

“Good to know,” said Alador, joining his wife. “But that does not answer the question of who you are or why you’re here.”

“Apologies.” Shrike sat back down. “As I explained to Miss Odalia, my name is Shrike, an Inquisitor acting under the orders of Emperor Belos. My companions and I arrived in town today, and I was given special orders to meet with you regarding your daughter.”

“Emira?” said Alador, concerned. “What has she done this time?”

“No, no, young Miss Amity,” Shrike said. “Word of her... _ aptitude _ ...has reached the Emperor’s highest, and he has sent me to inform you personally.”

“Inform us of what, exactly?” questioned Odalia.

“Perhaps it would be best if she could hear this herself,” said Shrike. “Would you mind sending her in?” Something in an adjacent room caught his eye, and he turned just as a flash of movement took something from view. “Oh?”

Odalia stood up, suspecting she knew what that was. “Just a moment,” she said, making her way into the other room. She looked around for a brief moment, and though the room appeared to be empty, a quick spell revealed the forms of Edric and Emira positioned near the door. Odalia crossed her arms, looking down at them.

“Hi Mom,” said Ed, with the sort of cheerful nervousness he saved for when he knew he’d been caught. “What’s up?”

“I hope you two weren’t eavesdropping,” Odalia said, sounding none too amused.

“No, of course not!” said Em. “...Okay, maybe a little,” she added quietly.

“And who might these two be?” asked Shrike, leaning through the door. “I was unaware you had more than one child.”

“Of course,” said Alador, silently motioning for Ed and Em to enter. They did so, silently relieved that they weren’t about to be scolded again. “Mr. Shrike, these are our twins, Emira and the boy.”

“Hey,” said Em.

“How’s it going?” said Ed.

“A pleasure to meet you both,” Shrike said. “Your younger sister wouldn’t happen to be present, would she? I have some very important news that I’m sure she would be very pleased to hear.”

“Oh, um...see, that’s gonna be a bit...she’s, uh...” said Ed, unsure of what their story should be.

“Edric? Emira?” Odalia said sternly. “Where is Amity?”

“Working on homework,” said Em.

Who’s Amity?” Ed said at the same time.

Odalia grimaced, before turning around and making her way upstairs. Emira turned to Edric, both incredulous and angry. “‘Who’s Amity?’!” she said in hushed disbelief.

“Sorry, I panicked!” Ed whispered.

Paying the pair no mind, Alador instead tried to strike up a conversation with his guest. “You know, Mr. Shrike, any loyal servant of Belos is welcome in the Blight household. Feel free to take off your mask.”

“Oh?” said Shrike, tilting his head. “But I wear no mask.”

“Wear no…” Alador faltered. He looked closer. The texture of Shrike’s ‘mask’ didn’t seem to be porcelain, or wood, or any other material a mask would be made of, but bone. Bleached white bone, with a curved beak extending outwards. If he focused, he realized that he could see the back of Shrike’s head through his eye sockets, which weren’t completely black.

This man’s head was a bird skull. Alador sat in silence, unsure of what to make of this development.

Meanwhile, Odalia approached the door to Amity’s room. “Amity, dear?” she said gently, lightly knocking. “There’s a man from the Emperor’s Coven here to see you.” She got no answer. Frowning, she tried again, a bit more forcefully. “Amity, Mr. Shrike came all this way to see you. The least you can do is show yourself.” When she again received no answer, Odalia drew a spell circle. The lock clicked, and she opened the door and stepped inside.

Amity sat at her desk, several papers haphazardly strewn around in front of her. “Oh, Mom, I didn’t hear you!” she said, sounding almost startled to see her. “I was busy working on my schoolwork, want to get that done before we go back, y’know?” She smiled unconvincingly.

Thinking this was strange, but ultimately not caring, Odalia stood aside. “In that case, I’ll repeat myself. A man from the Emperor’s Coven is here to see you. I should think that’s far more important than a few papers, yes?”

“I-I guess…” said Amity. “Who is he?”

“Introduce yourself, and perhaps he will do the same,” said Odalia, gesturing towards the door. Her tone made it clear that this was not a suggestion. Not wanting to argue further lest her mother become irate, Amity reluctantly left her room and headed downstairs.

Amity’s father and siblings sat silently with their guest as she entered the living room. Shrike looked up, getting to his feet. “Ah, and there she is!” he said. “The young prodigy herself!” He sounded genuinely pleased to see her.

“Hello,” Amity said stoically. “My name is--”

“No need for introductions, Miss Amity Blight, I know all about you!” said Shrike. He walked over to shake her hand. “Miss Clawthorne sings your praises whenever she gets the opportunity!”

“Y-you know Miss Lilith?” Amity asked.

“Only professionally,” Shrike said. “You could say we’re...coworkers. But she is not the reason I’ve come. No, I have been sent by none other than Belos himself!”

“Belos? Th-the emperor?” Amity stammered in disbelief. “He sent you...about me?”

Shrike chuckled. “Perhaps it would be best if you sat down.” She did so, as did Shrike and Odalia. “Now then...I understand it has been your dream for some time to become a member of the Emperor’s Coven, has it not?”

As Amity was too stunned to answer, Odalia did it for her. “Indeed it has, for years now!” she said. “You don’t...are you here to…?”

“No, not quite yet,” Shrike said with another chuckle. “However, given young Miss Blight’s aptitude for magic, as well as her many academic achievements, she has been in consideration for an apprenticeship for some time. But it is really the event that occurred some weeks ago that is the true reason I’ve come.”

“A few weeks ago,” Amity wondered aloud. “You mean that...that night with Mattias?”

Shrike nodded. “Indeed I do. Miss Amity, you were responsible for single-handedly apprehending one of the most notorious criminals in the Bonesborough area. If that doesn’t qualify you for a position on the Emperor’s Coven, I don’t know what does!”

“I’m still unsure of how she pulled that off all by herself,” said Alador, beaming towards his youngest daughter. “Nevertheless, are you here to offer her a position?”

“A future position,” Shrike said. “One Miss Amity turns sixteen years of age, she will officially be ready to begin her training. She will still be studying under Miss Clawthorne, of course, but her usual schoolwork will be replaced with much more hands-on studies, including accompanying covensmen on their daily patrols, and the like.”

“Well, isn’t this excellent news!” said Odalia. “Amity, your dream is this much closer to becoming a reality!”

“Huh? Oh, yeah,” Amity said distractedly. “I’ll...Sorry, this is all a bit sudden. I’ll have to talk about it with Lilith before I make any decisions.”

“Of course, take all the time you need,” said Shrike, hoisting himself up. “Just let her know when you’re ready. As for me, I must be going, I have important work for the Inquisition.” He headed for the door.

Her parents said something, but Amity didn’t hear what. Was it really possible? After all these years, was she really getting a chance to join the Emperor’s Coven? It felt a bit odd hearing about this from someone she had never seen before instead of Lilith, but her mother wouldn’t have let him in if she wasn’t sure he was who he said he was. Maybe she had gotten all worked up over nothing…”

“Hang on...there is one more thing I’d like to mention…”

Although his words weren’t any louder than before, they shot through the air like a cannon going off to Amity. She froze as Shrike turned around, gaining everyone’s attention once more.

“I’m sure you are all aware that Miss Clawthorne’s sister has made her home around these parts,” he said. “The notorious Edalyn Clawthorne, epithet ‘the Owl Lady,’ known dissident and criminal.”

“We know all too well,” Odalia said, scorn in her voice. “What has she done this time?”

“It would seem she has taken on an apprentice of her own,” Shrike explained. “The Inquisitorius Magicus was founded in an effort to combat this, in fact. Edalyn is training a young woman to act as her successor--and not just any witch. A human.”

“A human!” Odalia exclaimed in disbelief. “Performing magic? How is such a thing even possible?”

“Nevermind that, how did a human even arrive on the Boiling Isles?” said Alador. “I was under the belief they had gone extinct here.”

As the Blight children exchanged worried glances, Shrike continued. “We do not know the answers to those questions yet, but we do know that this human is not to be underestimated. According to our High Inquisitor, she has access to powerful magic, no doubt from the Owl Lady.” He turned towards Amity. “In fact, he says that she’s about your age.”

“O-oh...um…” Amity was unsure of how to respond. Did Shrike know? She hadn’t told anyone that Luz was with her when she took down Mattias. Did he know that she was in l--er, that she knew Luz?

“A child?” said Alador. “And you’re certain she’s as dangerous as they say?”

“Perhaps even moreso,” Shrike said gravely. He leaned forward slightly, staring at Amity with his hollow eyes. “Which is why it is very important that you let us know if you come across anything that could help us. Any sort of information at all. As a potential member of the Emperor’s Coven, I am sure you’ll want to help us in any way you can, yes?”

Amity was breathless. He  _ knew _ . He knew about Luz, about how she knew her. And instead of telling her outright, in front of her parents, he was just sort of implying it. She wasn’t sure what to make of that, but this was definitely bad. Would he try and use her to get to Luz? Would he tell her parents about their friendship? This was bad…

“Of course, it’s for her safety as well as yours, Miss Amity. Do you understand?”

“Mm-hmm,” Amity nodded. The least she could do at this point was try and obfuscate. “I’ll tell Miss Lilith if I see anything.”

For a split second, Shrike seemed disappointed, as though he had expected her to come clean. This demeanor was quickly replaced. “Good girl,” he said, making his way to the door. “I’m only a short distance away if anything comes up, or you can reach us through Miss Clawthorne. Farewell!”

Amity had to do something. She didn’t know if Luz knew about the Inquisition, but she definitely didn’t know that Shrike knew about...wow, all this knowing was getting confusing. Still, she had to reach Luz.

“Well, Amity?”

Amity looked around, snapped out of her trance. “Huh?” She realized her mother had asked her a question. “Y-yeah, of course.”

“I should think so,” Odalia continued. “The Emperor’s Coven! I always knew our little Amity was destined for greatness!” She placed a hand on Amity’s head, stroking her dyed hair. Amity smiled, but was far from happy.

“Um, I...I need to finish up some homework,” Amity said, standing up. “I’ll be in my room.” She walked over to the stairs, only to find her father blocking her path.

“Amity, is everything alright?” he asked. “You’ve seemed jumpy ever since Shrike arrived. Is something wrong?”

“N-no, nothing’s wrong,” she said, sidestepping Alador to reach the stairs. “Just...excited, about the Emperor’s Coven. I’ll be out in a bit!” She ran up to her room, shutting the door behind her.

The rest of her family stared in her direction with concerned expressions, some with different reasons than others. “Now, what has gotten into that girl?” Alador wondered aloud.

“I know. Amity, obsessed with homework?” said Ed. “So unlike her!”

Alador nodded in agreement, only to shoot Edric a look when he picked up on his sarcasm. “Shut up, boy.”

Leaning on his long staff, Shrike made his way down the walkway towards the town. Deciding that he had gotten far enough away from the mansion, he drew a spell circle in midair. The circle rose in front of him, the view through it rippling and distorting until it became a window to a completely different locale. A figure could be seen within, to whom Shrike respectfully bowed.

“My emperor, I have contacted the girl, as per your request,” he said. “I offered her a position in your coven, but she seemed to be more concerned about this human.”

Through the magical window, Belos growled thoughtfully. “I was worried about this. If Mattias is to be believed, then Amity Blight is good friends with the human. Keep a close eye on her, old friend. She may lead you to her yet.”

“And with the human...Edalyn,” said Shrike. “Your will is law, my emperor. I will not fail you.”

“You never have, Shrike.” With that, the window vanished. Shrike continued on his way, but not before glancing one last time at Blight Manor. Young Amity might be more of a help than he realized...

______________________________________________________________________

Eda anxiously paced back and forth at the edge of the forest, just beyond the treeline. When the town had been flooded with guards and covensman, she had done the only thing she could have--run. Still, she had stayed in town as long as she could, looking for Luz, but to no avail. And they were looking for her, too.

When the heat became too much, Eda had fled to where she currently waited, as much as it pained her to leave Luz behind. She sent Owlbert back into town, but she wasn’t sure it would be enough. What if Luz had been captured? Eda had just left her to fend for herself. No, no, she couldn’t think like that! Luz was a resourceful girl, she would be fine. Still…

Alerted by the sound of footsteps, Eda turned to see her apprentice running towards her, her palisman flying overhead. “Luz!” she shouted, running over to her.

“Eda!” Luz called, throwing her arms around her mentor. Eda hugged her as well, which she quickly tried to pass off as keeping her balance, patting the girl on the head. “Boy, am I glad to see you!”

“Same here!” said Eda. “So, you gave those chumps the slip, huh?”

“Sure did!” Luz said. “It wasn’t easy, though. I had some help from Willow and Gus. And Owlbert led me home, of course.” The palisman perched on Eda’s shoulder, hooting cheerfully.”

“Now, whaddya say we head home?” said Eda. Luz silently agreed, and the two of them made their way back to the Owl House. “Look, kid...about leaving you behind…”

“Hey, I’m just glad  _ you’re _ safe,” said Luz. She seemed to remember something, which interrupted her cheerful demeanor. “Hey, Eda? How much did you hear? About the Inquisition?”

“Enough,” Eda said gravely. “Sounds like our old friend’s back for more.”

“Mattias,” Luz said quietly. “I talked about this a little with Gus and Willow, but what’s he doing working for the emperor?”

“Ya got me there,” Eda said. “Last I checked, he was just as much of a rebel as I am. Just not as charming, or scrupulous, or handsome.”

“Maybe that  _ is _ why,” said Luz. “Lilith wants you to join the Emperor’s Coven, right? Maybe that’s just what the emperor does with rebels like that.”

“I doubt it,” said Eda. “Lily wants me to join because she’s family, and she thinks it’s what’s best for me. I doubt she’d care what happens to that creep, especially given their history.”

“Belos might, though,” said Luz. “Say...did you know Belos had kids?”

“I might’ve heard that somewhere or other,” Eda said distractedly. “This whole thing’s got me worried.”

“Yeah, me too,” said Luz. “I hope none of this causes any trouble at Hexside…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now, we have officially met every Inquisitor! Looks like Luz and Eda have their work cut our for them, eh?


	5. Unexpected Guests

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amity warns Luz about the Inquisitors, who have begun to scheme apart from Mattias.

Chapter Five: Unexpected Guests

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With all the craziness that had happened that day, Luz was happy to finally have some time to relax. She lay on the couch, King curled up on her lap, re-reading one of her Azura books. Listening to the tiny demon’s gentle snoring, she was beginning to get a bit sleepy herself.

Just as Luz had set down the book and closed her eyes, a noise broke her out of her stupor. She looked around to determine its source, when she heard it again--a light tapping sound, coming from outside. Was it some sort of animal in the walls? Or maybe that gremlin was back. She sincerely hoped it wasn’t the gremlin.

“Hey, Eda?” she called. “You hear that?”

“I can’t hear nothin’,” called Eda from upstairs. “Why?”

“No reason, it’s probably nothing,” Luz said. She got up, carefully moving King onto the couch, and listened again for the noise. The tapping was getting more forceful now, which made finding it a bit easier. The constant sound led Luz over to a window, where she found…

“Amity?” Luz tilted her head in surprise as she saw the green-haired witch peering inside, tapping on the window pane. She waved once Luz saw her, but her expression wasn’t particularly jovial. In fact, it looked like she had something urgent to say.

Luz opened the window to let her in; Amity climbed through, tumbling rather ungracefully to the floor. “Thanks,” she mumbled, getting up and dusting herself off. “Luz, listen--”

“Amity, what are you doing here all of a sudden?” asked Luz. “And why didn’t you use the door?”

“I didn’t want that obnoxious old bird to see me,” Amity muttered. “But anyway, Luz, you’re--”

“ _ Who’s _ an obnoxious old bird?” Eda asked, descending the stairs, looking none too pleased at their sudden visitor.

“Not you,” Amity said, nodding towards the front door, “him. But that’s not important.” She grabbed Luz by the shoulders, their eyes meeting. “Luz, I came here to warn you. You’re in a lot of danger right now.”

“I-I am?” Luz said, slightly flustered by their closeness. “That’s cool. What’s goin’ on now?”

“I don’t know all the details,” Amity said, “but I know that there’s some people trying to find you.”

“Oh, the Inquisition?” said Luz. “Yeah, we had a run-in with them earlier today. They pretty much combed the whole town for us, but we gave ‘em the slip.”

“Wait, what?” said Amity. “You…” She reflected on this for a moment. “Well, I guess that explains why you weren’t at school today…”

“I wasn’t about to let her go back into town after a fiasco like that,” Eda said, sitting down in an armchair. “But hey, free day off, right?”

“Yup!” Luz agreed. “So, is that what you wanted to warn me about, Amity? Well, you don’t have to worry, I’ll be careful!  _ And _ back to school tomorrow!”

“Only if those Inquisitor freaks clear out,” Eda said.

“No, that isn’t--well, not really,” said Amity. “What I was going to say...one of them came to my house just now.”

“They what?” Luz said, worried. “Are you okay? They didn’t hurt you, did they?” She began scanning Amity for wounds.

“No, I’m fine,” Amity said, gently shoving Luz back. “He just wanted to talk to my parents. He told me...What he told me isn’t important, but he mentioned you and Eda. He asked me if I knew anything about you guys, and the way he said it...he knows, Luz.”

Luz tilted her head to the side. “Knows what?” she asked.

“Knows that...that I know you,” Amity said. “I’m not sure how, and I’m not sure to what extent, but the way he said it, he definitely knows. A-and I’m worried that he’ll try to use me to get to you. Or that he’ll tell someone, like my parents, or Miss Lilith, or--”

“Amity?” Luz said. “Is everything okay? You look kinda pale.” Amity was indeed white as a sheet, in sharp contrast to the bright red blushes she usually wore. “Come on, why don’t you sit down?”

Luz and Amity both sat down on the couch, awaking King up from his nap. “Eh?” He looked up groggily at their guest. “When did you get here?”

“Now, you said you were worried?” said Luz. “This guy didn’t say he’d hurt you, did he? Because if he did, I might need to have a word with him!” Luz grinned, cracking her knuckles unsuccessfully.

Amity smirked as well. “No, nothing like that,” she said. “It’s you he’s after, not me. That’s why I came here. I just...I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I don’t want you to get hurt either,” said Luz. “You’re sure he wasn’t threatening you?”

“Not outright, at least,” Amity said. “He did make it sound like he might tell someone about our friendship.”

“Well, that isn’t much of a secret, is it?” Luz replied. “I mean, everyone at school knows we hang out. It’s not that big of a deal.”

“It is to my parents!” Amity said. “I--I haven’t exactly told them about you. You saw how they were with Willow, if they found out about you, we’d never be able to see each other again!”

“Amity, Amity, calm down!” Luz said. “Nobody’s going to tell your parents anything. And even if they do, that doesn’t mean we can’t still be friends, right?”

“Luz, they threatened to ruin Willow’s future, and she’s a witch!” said Amity. “Do you really want to know what they’d do if they found out I was associating with a  _ human _ ?”

“Uh...nothing good, I’d imagine,” Luz said hesitantly.

“That’s putting it lightly,” Amity said. “And that’s why Shrike’s so dangerous! I think he was waiting for me to tell my parents about you myself, but if I don’t, h-he might...he might tell them about you, and then they’ll make me stop seeing you, and they’ll probably help the Inquisition find you, and then--”

“Hey, hey, none of that!” Luz said, the suddenness of her voice snapping Amity out of her trance. “None of that ‘he might’ stuff! Nobody’s telling anybody about anyone or helping anyone find anyone, okay?”

“But what if--”

“Up-bup-bup!” Luz held a finger up to Amity’s mouth. “‘What ifs’ are for comic books and fanfictions, not for real life.”

Amity gave her a weird look. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about how this is all going to be fine,” Luz said. “Shriek isn’t going to tell anyone anything, because we’re going to stop him! Now, what did he look like?”

Amity shook her head. “I don’t know, he was wearing an Emperor’s Coven mask. He had a cape made of leaves, though, that was kinda weird. Oh, and I think he was in the potions coven.”

“He was?” said Luz. “Man, what is it with people from the potions track being jerks?” Realizing what she said, she turned to Eda awkwardly. “W-with plenty of major exceptions, of course!”

Eda waved her hand. “Eh, I ain’t a saint, I can admit it.”

“What exactly did you have in mind, Luz?” asked Amity. “We can’t just find this guy and fight him like last time.”

“Why not?” said Luz. “We took out Mattias just fine, didn’t we?”

“That’s what I mean,” Amity said. “This isn’t like last time. Last time, Mattias was a criminal, so the Emperor’s Coven was sort of on our side, and he only had a few brainwashed henchmen. Now, he’s working  _ for _ the Emperor, and he has eight other powerful agents doing his bidding!  _ Now _ can you see how this might not turn out well for us?”

“...Okay, so maybe the stakes are a bit higher this time around,” Luz said. “But it’s still more of the same, right? Last time there were seven, this time there’s nine, and we might not always be able to talk things out, but it’ll be fine! We handled things last time, and we can handle them this time, right, Eda?”

“You know it!” Eda said, raising her fist.

“See? Eda agrees with me.” Luz placed a hand on top of Amity’s. “Trust me, this is all going to turn out fine. Nobody’s gonna get hurt--not me, not you, not Eda, nobody. Right?”

“Maybe,” Amity said. “But how can--”

“Here, repeat after me: Everything will be fine.”

“E-everything will be fine.”

“Good!” Luz got to her feet. “So, should we start planning our attack now, or wait until after snacks?”

Amity rubbed the back of her head. “Actually, I should probably get going,” she said. “My parents don’t know I’m gone. I kinda-sorta, may have snuck out the window…” She grinned and shrugged.

Eda snorted. “I’m startin’ to like you, kid,” she said. “Here, how ‘bout I give you a ride back to town? Can’t have Mom and Pop findin’ out you’re gone, can we?”

“Thank you,” said Amity. “We’ll talk more about this tomorrow at school, okay, Luz?”

“You got it!” Luz said, giving her a thumbs-up. Eda fetched her staff and headed for the door, Amity following behind. She gave Luz a wave as the two of them stepped out.

“Hoot hoot! Hi Amity! Long time no see!” came a voice once Amity had left.

“Can it,” Luz heard Amity snap.

Once the door closed again, Luz was struck by a sudden thought. She grabbed her bag, fishing around in the contents for the item she sought. “I guess it’s true what they say: history repeats itself,” she said.

“Who says that?” asked King.

“I dunno. ‘They’ do, whoever they are,” Luz answered. Her fingers closed around a notebook, which she removed from the bag, tearing out a blank page. She picked up a pen, and began jotting down notes. “Alright, let’s get everything we know so far.” This is what she wrote:

_ -Mattias: Controls abominations and minds. Leader, and grade-A slimeball. _

_ -???: Big and strong. Maybe stupid? Builds things maybe? _

_ -Mandrake: Plant guy, plant coven. Probably does plant things. Plant weaknesses? _

_ -Selano(?): Bird woman. Can fly, does illusions probably. Stern. _

_ -Loxton: ????? British? Music? _

_ -Stigma: Weird ghost lady. Goes through walls, heals? _

_ -Sanguinus: Has big monster (Ophelia?) _

_ -Grace(?): Can’t see, maybe oracle? _

_ -Shark: Potions. Scared Amity, so 2nd priority target after Mattias. _

“There,” Luz said, placing the list down on the table. “Now all we need is a plan…”

______________________________________________________________________

“See, I have a plan,” said Mandrake. “And you and me? We’re both wanderers at heart. How can you say no?”

Within the halls of the emperor’s palace, Mandrake had called Sanguinus over. The former leaned against a wall in the dimly-lit hallway, explaining his plans of a vague alliance between the two of them.

“I can say no because I don’t trust you,” Sanguinus responded. “Of all the men and women here, you are the most likely to be working to your own ends.”

Mandrake scoffed. “And how exactly does that make me any different from you?” he asked. I mean, before we came here, we were practically the same thing!”

“Except I had scruples,” said Sanguinus. “You and your band of thugs were little more than hired muscle. You’d sell your services to anyone who had the coin, regardless of the consequences.”

“And you wouldn’t?”

Sanguinus averted his gaze. “When I could help it. Sometimes I had to make exceptions to my code.”

“Yeah, that’s why I never had a code,” said Mandrake. “Just holds you down. But code or no code, you seem like one of the more trustworthy people in this castle. We should join forces.”

“We’re already both Inquisitors,” Sanguinus said. “How would ‘joining forces’ be any different than already being on the same team?”

Mandrake shrugged, looking irritated. “Alright, let me break it down: We both know that there are two kinds of people in here--ones that are blindly loyal to Belos, and ones out for their benefit. Of the latter, Mattias would sell out his own mother to get more power, Grace is nuts, Shrike scares the crap out of me, and I don’t know enough about Stygma. You, on the other hand, live by a code. And that makes you trustworthy.”

“That makes me predictable, you mean,” said Sanguinus. “We both know this is only about your benefit.”

“Hey, relax, would you?” said Mandrake. “This place is a madhouse, so we need every advantage we can get. I guarantee you that someone, either Belos himself or one of his puppets, is gonna try and screw us over sooner or later. Don’t you want someone to have your back when that time comes?”

“And who better to stab me in the back than the one watching it?” Sanguinus said, looking up at Mandrake. “You didn’t mention Caelano--I take it she rejected your offer as well?”

Mandrake huffed--this was evidently a sore spot. “All I’m saying is, I think it’s pretty obvious that Belos is using us. And what happens when we run out of uses? We just go home, like that? It’s not gonna end like that, Sang. One of us needs to take the initiative to--” He paused. “Hang on, Clawthorne’s comin’,” he said in a hushed voice.

Lilith walked down the hallway, approaching the two. Mandrake lowered his head, pretending not to have just been talking. Sanguinus looked up attentively as Lilith stopped in front of them.

Mandrake looked up once it was apparent that Lilith wasn’t just passing by. He nodded at her. “How’s it going?”

She shot him an icy glare, before turning to the other one. “Inquisitor Sanguinus.”

“Yes, Miss Lilith?”

“Emperor Belos has requested your presence. He wishes to know more about your...previous encounter with my sister. He believes it may be useful in tracking her down.”

Sanguinus raised an eyebrow. “Is that so? I suppose I don’t have a choice. Tell him I’ll be there as soon as I’ve tended to Ophelia.”

“Very well,” said Lilith. Both she and Sanguinus took a step, carrying them in the same direction. “I...suppose we’ll say our goodbyes in a moment…”

Lilith and Sanguinus both set off down the hall. The latter gave Mandrake one last glance as he retreated. He mouthed ‘Think about it.’ Sanguinus didn’t respond, but he knew he had already thought about it enough.

For most of the way, the two walked in silence. Before they went their separate ways, Lilith broke it with a quiet question: “Would you have killed her?”

Sanguinus looked up at Lilith, but her eyes were staring ahead. “Pardon?”

“Your encounter,” she said, almost no emotion in her voice. “If it had escalated, would you have killed her?”

“...I make an effort to bring in most of my marks alive, if I can help it,” Sanguinus answered. “And not just because it pays better.”

“If that’s the case, then why did Belos order you to be blacklisted by the hunters’ guild?” Lilith asked. It sounded less like a question, and more like an accusation.

Sanguinus was taken aback. “I-I don’t know,” he said. “I’ve often wondered about that myself. I never assumed the two were related.”

They soon reached the point where their paths split. “Just keep in mind that Belos wants my sister brought in alive,” Lilith said icily. “As do I.”

“I should think so,” Sanguinus said. “But tell me, what exactly--”

Before he could ask his question, Lilith was gone, disappeared down the hall. Sanguinus simply shrugged it off, and headed the other way, down into the stables where his beast was kept.

On his way, Sanguinus passed by a glass door leading to a balcony overlooking a nearby forest. Unbeknownst to him, three of the other Inquisitors were out there: Caelano, Stygma, and Grace looked over the view--or rather, the former two did.

“She’s out there somewhere,” said Stygma. “And we’re going to find her.”

“I didn’t take you for the all-business type,” said Caelano, looking over at her fellow Inquisitor.

“The only business I take seriously is my business,” Stygma replied. “And being an Inquisitor affects my bottom line. The sooner we catch Eda, the sooner we can get back to our lives.”

“Eda? You mean Eda Clawthorne?” said Grace. “I’ve heard about her. They say she’s a nice girl, but a real troublemaker.”

Stygma looked at the older woman with irritation. “What are you muttering about, grandma? You’ve never even heard of Eda before.”

Caelano shot her a glare. “Be quiet.” She then leaned down to Grace’s level. “Grace? Where do you know Eda from?” she asked gently.

“People talk,” she said, more to herself. “They think, too. About Eda. About how her future was so promising before all of this. But he still wants her by his side, despite everything.”

Stygma rolled her eyes, but Caelano listened. “Who does?”

Grace shook her head. “I’ve said too much already. If I say more, people might get the wrong idea.”

“And, what wrong idea is that?” asked Caelano. 

“Well, that was helpful,” said Stygma. “What good is seeing the future if you can’t make sense of it?”

“I thought I told you to be quiet,” said Caelano. “I’m sure it’s much easier for her to make sense of what she sees.”

“I’ll bet,” Stygma muttered.

“Hello, Briares,” said Grace. Both Inquisitors looked at her, but she still faced out towards the forest below.

“There, you see?” said Caelano. “She saw Briares coming here. Just wait, he’ll show up in a moment.

Sure enough, less than a minute later there was a tap on the glass door. Briares, too large to fit on the balcony with the three of them already there, merely leaned outside. “Greetings, Inquisitors Caelano, Gracious, Astygmatism,” he said. “Inquisitor Caelano, I have been asked to seek you out.”

“What do you need?” she asked.

“Inquisitor Mattias believes that Inquisitor Loxton will neglect his inquisitorial duties while in Bonesborough. He has asked me to keep an indirect eye on him.”

“Ah. Loxton,” said Grace. “I used to listen to his music, back in the day.”

“Alright,” said Caelano, knowing what was needed. “Get him ready, this will only take a minute.” She drew a spell circle in the air, holding her hand out and concentrating as the air in front of her began to swirl and ripple.

While she did this, Briares drew a spell circle as well. A glowing circle appeared on the floor next to him, which something rose up from. A mass of intricately carved metal, covered in all manner of runes and shapes. Beneath this was a wooden handle, the thickness and almost length of a telephone pole. Briares grabbed onto his hammer, slinging it over his shoulder.

Just over the balcony’s edge, a small portal formed from the ripple in the air. “Ready when you are,” said Caelano.

Briares nodded, gently moving the head of the hammer over to the portal. Sitting atop the hammer was a carved metal bull the size of a lapdog, which, once it was near the balcony’s edge, jolted to life and hopped onto the handrail.

“Go, Minos,” said Briares. “Keep a close watch on our friend, and our enemies if possible.”

The palisman snuffled, hopping through the portal. Caelano let out a breath as she relaxed her arm, causing the portal to vanish. “Is that everything?”

“Indeed it is, for now,” said Briares. “Thank you for your help, Inquisitor Caelano. Farewell, Inquisitor Gracious.”

“Remember to watch your head,” said Grace.

“Indeed I shall. Farewell, Inquisitor Astygmatism.

“I told you not to call me that,” Stygma muttered. Briares left, closing the door behind him. She turned to Caelano. “I specifically told him not to call me that.”

“You know how he is with nicknames,” said Caelano.

“Lovely view, isn’t it?” said Grace.

Stygma looked over at Grace, who was still staring out at the forest despite her eyes being covered. “What are you even doing here?” she asked. “You can’t see!”

“Such a shame we won’t be able to see it for much longer...”

Caelano looked up at Stygma, who shrugged. “What will happen, exactly?” she asked.

“We will go back inside, where we can’t see it,” Grace answered.

______________________________________________________________________

“Right, get those amps up there!” barked Loxton. “And don’t bust me equipment before I go on! Oy, careful with those curtains!”

Loxton stood back and watched with slight irritation as a collection of workers set up a stage for his eventual performance. It was far from the luxurious venues that he was used to, especially on such short notice, but it was passable.

One of the workers, possibly the foreman, approached him. “Uh, Mr. Loxton?” he said. “I’m not sure if you’re aware of our policies, but we tend to prefer payment before the work is compl--”

“Yeah, yeah, just put it on the Emperor’s bill,” Loxton said, waving him off. “Now sod off, I’m in the middle of something!” The worker slowly backed away, and Loxton continued watching the workers work, unaware of the metal palisman gazing out from the shadows. “If all goes right, this might just be the best performance I’ve ‘ad in years!”


	6. One Night Only

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mattias speaks with Lilith, and Luz tries to come up with a plan to beat the Inquisition.

Chapter Six: One Night Only

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“Lilith? Is everything alright?” asked an Emperor’s covensman, a troubled expression hidden beneath his mask. “You seem...tired.”

Seated behind her desk, Lilith rubbed her eyes. “I’m fine,” she said. “It’s just...I haven’t been getting much sleep, what with everything that’s been happening recently.” The issue was seemingly dropped, with only the sound of her quill scratching across her paper filling the room.

After a few moments of quiet, the covensman spoke again. “And what  _ has _ been happening? Aside from this new branch, things around here have been--”

“There’s your answer,” Lilith said, her tone bitter. “You took part in the raid on Archoman manor, did you not? You of all people should know why I am worried about the Inquisition.”

Again, the covensman was silent for a moment. Eventually, he broke the silence with another question. “...It’s Mattias, isn’t it?”

Lilith sighed. “You know, I think it would do wonders for my fatigue if I could be alone for some time. A bit of solitude can clear my head. Yes?”

“Y-yes,” said the covensman. He glanced around for a moment before heading for the door. “Summon me if you need anything, a-as usual…”

“I know,” said Lilith with a nod. She returned to her work as the covensman exited her study.

As his footsteps receded into the distance, Lilith made out several words of his before he was gone entirely: “Good evening, Inquisitor.”

Lilith sighed. It seemed she had traded one nuisance for another. In spite of her insistence, Belos was going all-in on this Inquisition. But every time she made her feelings known, he just brushed her off, stating how this was a way to kill two birds with one stone--find Eda, and keep watch over nine dangerous individuals. His metaphors were no doubt deliberately chosen, worrying Lilith even further.

As her grip angrily tightened on her quill, a sudden voice snapped her back. “Knock knock, Lily.” A dark, slender hand crept across the door, pushing it open to reveal its owner’s sickening grin.

Lilith had to bite her tongue to keep from shouting. “ _ You _ don’t get to call me that,  _ Inquisitor _ ,” she snarled. “What do you want?”

Mattias made his way into Lilith’s study, looking just as comfortable as if he owned the place. “Oh, nothing much,” he said, his voice darkly casual. “I just realized I’ve been here for several days, and I haven’t formally said hello to you yet. So I came by to remedy that.”

“Hello,” Lilith said, scowling. “There. Now you can leave.”

Mattias chuckled. “Always the studious one, Lily! We can talk for a while--your paperwork will still be there once we’re done.”

Sighing once again, Lilith put down her quill. She figured that since nothing short of several offensive spells in rapid succession would get Mattias to leave--something she would resort to in a heartbeat if it came to it--she decided to indulge him for the time being. “From common criminal to Emperor’s enforcer. I’ll admit, you have quite the silver tongue, Mattias.”

“Why, thank you. You know, I’ve thought that for years now, but it’s only now that I’m finally able to put it to real use!” He still seemed unaware that Belos was just using him. Perhaps he had been right: if one thing was irresistible to these sorts of people, it was power.

“So, why don’t you put it to use?” said Lilith. “If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s indirectness. So please, tell me what it is that’s on your mind.”

“Oh! Lily, I’m stung!” Mattias placed a hand over his chest while wearing a mock pitiable expression. “Do you truly believe I have ulterior motives for coming to visit my dear old friend?”

“Yes,” Lilith replied bluntly. “Mainly because we were never friends. And  _ I’m not Lily _ .”

“Never?” said Mattias. “Not even a little bit?”

“Get on with it!” Lilith exclaimed, barely managing to prevent herself from banging her fists on the desk.

“Oh, very well, very well.” Mattias pulled up a chair, placing himself down before Lilith. “All work, no play...In truth, I wished to inform you of a lead we have regarding your sister.”

“What sort of lead?” she asked.

“One of my Inquisitors has contacted a...shall we say, a friend of a friend,” Mattias said. “Someone both of us are surely familiar with. Belos ordered Shrike to deliver the news himself. Yes, I’m sure young Miss Blight was just beside herself with excitement.”

“Amity?” At the mention of her student, Lilith got to her feet. “What does she have to do with this?”

Mattias grinned, as though reveling in Lilith’s concern. “I’m sure you remember. She was the one who took me down in the first place, remember? She and all her other little friends broke into my house, ravaged the place, assaulted me and my servants, and stole my guest!”

“Do not even  _ try _ and make yourself the victim here,” Lilith growled. She gripped the edge of the desk, her fingers turning even whiter than usual. “As I said before, you were nothing but a common criminal, and she brought you to justice.”

“Yes, I suppose she did, didn’t she?” said Mattias. The angrier Lilith got, the more self-satisfied he seemed to become. “And now, I’m the High Inquisitor. Now  _ I’m _ the one bringing criminals to justice. Criminals like your sister, the Owl Lady...and her pet human. Remember her? She was there that day, too.”

“If you are suggesting something even  _ remotely _ close to what I think you are suggesting, I will--” Mattias held up a finger, cutting her off.

“At-dat-dat! Now, Lily, try to remember your allegiances. You, I, and young Miss Blight are one one side of the law...while Eda and her pet are on the other. Amity and...what did it call itself? Luzz? ...Regardless, Amity is friends with the human. Through  _ her _ , we find  _ it _ . And through  _ it _ , we find Eda. Of course, considering young Miss Blight is associating with known fugitives…”

“Amity Blight is my student,” Lilith said firmly, her rage growing quiet but no less hot. “You are not to harm her, or the human, or my sister. Understood?”

Mattias sighed, shaking his head. “Lily, Lily, Lily. Your heart is in the right place, truly it is, but you’ve got to commit!” He got to his feet, wearing a condescending expression. “You say you want your sister to join you, but aren’t willing to take the necessary steps! You constantly try to play nice, and are refused time and time again. If you really want Eda to serve the emperor beside you, you need to stoop to her level. It’s worked for you once before, hasn’t it?”

“Actually, it hasn’t,” Lilith said. “If you were actually at that covention, you would know that--”

“Covention? Dear Lily, I was referring to the incident much earlier than that.”

Lilith froze. Try as she might, she couldn’t come up with a reply. “I...you…” was all she managed to stammer out.

Mattias grinned a smug grin. “No need to explain yourself, Lily. I already know you’re the strongest witch in the Emperor’s Coven. Just as  _ I _ am the strongest witch in the Inquisition.” He leaned in closer. “Funny how things work, isn’t it? We are no longer of two different worlds. At last, we are...equals.”

To this, Lilith had a definite answer. “Let me set one thing straight,” she said, rounding her desk. “First of all: we may both work for the Emperor now, but in no way are we equals. Not in power, not in authority, and definitely not in morals.” She began advancing on Mattias, gradually pushing him out of her study. “Secondly: you may lead the Inquisition, but I outrank you. I have been by his side for almost my entire life, so do not even think you can compare to something like that. And lastly: if you try coming onto me again, I will tear that mask off of your sorry face, smash it to pieces atop your head, and make you eat every last fragment. Understand?”

Mattias, who had been shoved out into the hallway, had only stared at Lilith with a glazed look for her entire outburst, wearing a small smile.

“ _ Well _ ?”

“I forgot how beautiful you are when you’re angry.”

With a snarl, Lilith shoved Mattias one last time before returning to her study. “If you or one of your thugs harms a hair on Amity’s head, you are finished!”

Mattias’ expression turned to one of remorse, again mockingly. “Lily, I’m truly sorry about what happened with me and Eda. Please understand, she was only my second choice. I never stopped loving y--”

He was cut off by Lilith slamming the door shut. Not only did a lock click, but several magical chains appeared in front of the door. Apparently pleased with himself, Mattias shrugged.

“Don’t worry about a thing, Lily!” he called through the closed door. “We’ll find your sister, get her fixed up, and have her by your side soon, you can count on that!” As Mattias walked off, his expression turned from smug satisfaction to spiteful anger. “And send her pet  _ ollryn _ back where it belongs, one way or the other…”

______________________________________________________________________

“And then she just slammed the door in my face! After everything I’ve done for her!”

Fuming, Mattias stared out the window at the forests just beyond the Emperor’s palace. Nearby was Shrike, perched atop the rim of a bubbling cauldron. He stirred the contents, which were turning a bright yellow, with his staff.

“I’ve never understood all the subtle intricacies of love,” said Shrike, “but it sounds to me quite like you were rejected, as they say.”

“No, it’ll just take a bit more time,” he said, shaking his head. “She’ll come around, I just have to keep working at her. I’m sure she’ll warm up to me a touch more once we bring her sister in.”

“Mm.” Shrike hopped down from the enormous cauldron in the center of the room, tossing in a handful of herbs. A blast of steam shot out of the boiling liquid, which darkened to a shade of orange. He dipped in a finger, seemingly uncaring about being scalded. “Ah. Not enough blisterroot.”

“I can have someone retrieve some in the morning,” Mattias said.

“No need,” Shrike said, “I have plenty in my garden. No, it’s terrorwort that I really need. Unfortunately, it only grows in one place on the entire Isles, and it’s not exactly willing to give it up…”

“Can you finish this potion or not?” asked Mattias, growing impatient. “It will be far easier to bring Eda in if she can’t cast spells.”

“I’ve been brewing potions since before you were born. Of  _ course _ I can complete it,” Shrike shot back. “Instead, you should be asking yourself how you intend to have her drink some. I doubt she will fall for the same trick twice.”

“I have a few plans,” said Mattias, going back to his spot on the window. “Just worry about making the stuff for now.”

Shrike regarded Mattias for a moment, before going back to stirring his brew. “I can certainly understand why Belos placed you in charge,” he said.

Mattias knew he was likely being sarcastic, but grinned anyway. “As can I,” he said.

______________________________________________________________________

“Alright,” said Luz, placing her lunch down on the table next to her friends’, and took a seat next to them. “I’m sure you’re wondering why I asked you all here today.”

“Is it about the Inquisitors?” said Willow immediately. Gus and Amity both nodded in agreement.

“Okay, I--wow, how’d you know?” Luz said.

Willow gave her a look. “Because I know you, Luz. When you set your mind to something, you tend to see it through. ...For better or for worse…”

“Alright, I’ll give you that,” she said. Luz pulled a slip of paper from her pocket, placing it on the table in front of her. “Bam. Here we go.”

“ _ Another _ list?” said Gus. “How many boyfriends did Eda  _ have _ !?”

Luz shook her head. “No, no, this isn’t about that.  _ I _ made this list.”

“Is it a list of  _ your _ exes?” said Amity with a smirk.

Rolling her eyes, Luz giggled. “No, it’s not a list of my exes! It’s a list of all the Inquisitors, or at least the ones I know about.” All of them leaned in to read it. “It looks like there’s nine of them; one for each big coven.”

“Makes sense,” said Willow. “Belos likes to be organized like that.”

“So anyway, I figured that if we can find out more about them, we could learn their weaknesses and stuff,” Luz continued. “I mean, each coven has to have its own strengths and weaknesses, right?”

“Wait...just hold on a moment,” Amity said, holding up her hands. “Luz, you know I lo--care about you, but let me just tell you, as a friend, that this is a terrible idea.”

Luz cocked her head to the side. “Eh? How so?”

“I have to agree with Amity on this one,” Willow said. “Remember what happened last time? With Mattias?”

“Uh, yeah I remember!” Luz said. “The four of us teamed up, stormed his mansion, and sent him packing!”

“Buuuut, only after you and Eda got kidnapped, you only barely escaped with Lester’s help, and he almost got away with everything,” said Gus. “We won, sure, but it wasn’t easy.”

Luz took a moment to reflect on this. “Okay, you’re making some good points. But last time was different! This time, we’ll do our homework before we go in! We’ll do some digging on each of the Inquisitors, come up with a way to beat them, and with Eda’s help, we’ll win again!”

“Last time, Mattias was just one man, and he was acting alone,” said Amity. “Now he has eight other people who are likely just as powerful as he is, not to mention the full support of the Emperor’s Coven. We’re only four kids, we can’t--”

“Four kids  _ plus _ the strongest witch on the Boiling Isles,” corrected Luz. “Oh, and do you think I could get Edric and Emira to help out, too?”

Amity sighed. “Even with six kids plus Eda, we can’t just take them on directly. I mean, what are you expecting to happen? We beat them up, one at a time, and they just magically leave us alone?”

“...Something like that,” said Luz. “It tends to work like that in video games. You take the bad guys on one at a time until you get to the leader, and then you beat him up, and then you win. Pretty straightforward.”

“Hang on,” said Willow. “Amity, what did you mean when you said ‘leave  _ us _ alone?’”

“Oh, that,” Amity said. “It’s nothing. I just...I think one of them knows about how close I am with Luz. I told her about it yesterday--I think he wants to use me to get to her.” She looked much more solemn than usual.

“You didn’t mention that part!” said Gus. “How did he know? How did he find you? Are they coming after us next!?”

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing like that,” she said. “He came to visit the other day to tell my parents about my progress. But he also…” Her face went pale. “Mattias. That’s how he knew. Luz, Mattias probably remembers all four of us! That’s how he knows!”

“So then what’s stopping him from just invading Hexside!?” said Gus.

“I doubt Principal Bump would just let the Inquisitors march into his school and make off with one of his students, wanted or not,” said Willow. “But still, that’s...concerning.”

“Yeah it is,” Luz said, her voice grave as well. “This is worse than I thought. If Mattias remembers all of us, then it’s not just me and Eda who’re in danger. It’s you guys, too.” She looked all of her friends dead in the eyes. “Which gives us all the more reason to stop the Inquisition.”

“I still don’t like this,” Willow said. “But if that’s how things are, we might not have a choice…”

“See, there you go!” said Luz. “We beat Mattias once, we can do it again!” She picked up the list, quickly reading over the names. “Nine Inquisitors, nine covens. Willow, you’re in the plant track. Do witches specializing in plant magic have any weaknesses?”

Willow thought for a moment. “...Well, plants tend not to like fire,” she said. “That could come in handy.”

“Now we’re gettin’ somewhere!” Luz added ‘ _ Fire? _ ’ next to Mandrake’s entry on the list. “And Gus, what about illusions?”

“It’s in the name,” Gus said in a scholarly tone. “Most illusions are just that: tricks made to mimic the appearance of the object in question. Once you realize that, all that’s left is to deal with the witch him- or herself.”

“...Wow,” Luz said.

“I do my homework,” added Gus. Luz jotted that down next to Caelano’s name.

“Okay, and that leaves...Amity, any tricks about abominations?”

Amity seemed caught off-guard. “Oh, well, the thing about abominations is that...it’s really a...sort of like...okay, I don’t know. I try not to focus on my weaknesses, I work more towards improving my strengths. But I could ask Lilith if--”

“Oh, that’s right, you’re Liilth’s student!” exclaimed Luz. “ _ She’s _ in the Emperor’s Coven--I’ll bet she knows a thing or two about the Inquisitors! Next time you see her, you could ask her about them!”

“I-I could,” Amity said. “I have a tutoring session with her this friday, I could talk to her about it then.”

Luz nodded, looking down at the list. “Alright, that’s two down, maybe more soon. Now, who else could we ask?” She glanced around the lunchroom. “Hmm...healing track, bard track, oracle track...Boscha’s in the potions track, maybe we could--nah, she wouldn’t tell us anything. And I don’t know anyone in the construction track. Do we know anyone in the beastkeeping track?”

“Hey Luz!” Luz turned around at the voice, and was greeted by a tall, skinny girl in the beastkeeping track. She had light pink skin and a pair of tiny horns. “You guys scheming again?”

“Hi Tia, long time no see!” Luz said. “You could say that. You know those Inquisitors that came into town a little while ago?”

“Yeah, I heard,” said Tia. She was holding several papers under her arm, one of which she was trying to stick onto the wall nearby. “You gave ‘em the run-around, huh? Glad you made it out of there!”

“Yeah, me too,” Luz said. “Anyway, I was wondering, since you’re--do you need some help there?”

Tia’s attempts at putting up the poster one-handed were not going well. “Yes, please. They gave me like, twenty of these things to put around the school, and this is only the third!”

Luz got up, taking the sheet of paper and sticking it to the wall. “There we go, that should…” She trailed off once she saw what the poster was for. Underneath the image of a wild-looking witch with red skin, a mohawk, and a guitar were the words ‘LOXTON: LIVE in Concert, One Night Only!’ Two and two clicked immediately.

“Thanks a bunch!” said Tia. “I’d love to stay and chat, but that extra credit won’t earn itself! We can talk later.” She leaned in a bit closer. “Oh, and if things with the Inquisitors go south, you’re always welcome to hide out at my place.”

“I’ll remember that,” Luz said. Tia waved goodbye as she walked away. “See ya!” Luz took her place back in her seat. “Did you all see that?” she asked.

“See what?” asked Amity. “Who was that, anyway?”

“A friend,” Luz said. “But look at that poster!”

They did. “Loxton?” said Willow. “As in, Grel Loxton, the rockstar?”

“You know him?” said Luz.

Willow nodded. “He was pretty big back in the day. My dads have a ton of his albums. What’s he doing as an Inquisitor now?”

“A better question is, why is he putting on a concert if he’s an Inquisitor?” asked Gus.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Amity said dryly. Celebrities like that will do anything to feed their ego. I wouldn’t be surprised if he joined the Inquisition just for the publicity.”

In Luz’s head, an idea was forming. “So, let’s see here...one of the Inquisitors is going to be putting on a show in the middle of town in a few days. He’ll probably be alone, too, only maybe with a few guards. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Tell me you’re not thinking about ambushing Grel Loxton during one of his concerts,” said Willow. “The last time someone tried to upstage him, an entire block was leveled in the crossfire.”

“I’m thinking we ambush Loxton during his concert!” said Luz. “I mean, all he does is make music, right? It’s not like he’s some sort of legendary warrior. How bad could this be?”

Willow stared at her. “What part of ‘an entire block was leveled’ didn’t you get?” she asked.

“But this could be our best chance to catch an Inquisitor without backup!” Luz said. “And Amity said he has a big ego; we can probably use that against him. We’ll just have to try and keep collateral damage to a minimum.”

“That’s not exactly what I was--” But Luz didn’t hear Willow’s words, instead focusing on drawing checkboxes next to each Inquisitor’s name.

“Got it! Watch out Loxton, here come the party-crashers!”

Gus shot a nervous glance over at Amity. “So, this is a terrible idea again, isn’t it?” he asked quietly.

“Probably,” Amity replied. “But better a terrible plan than no plan, right?”

Willow sighed. This wasn’t going to end well.


	7. Sound Check

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luz and co. prepare to take on Inquisitor Loxton.

Chapter Seven: Sound Check

______________________________________________________________________

“So, what do you think?” asked Luz. “Saturday sleepover?”

Eda glanced up from her newspaper, giving Luz a skeptical look. “With those Inquisition creeps running around the city? Sounds like a recipe for trouble.”

“Eda, you practically wrote that recipe!” Luz said. “What happened to your sense of adventure?”

She chuckled. “Kid, I got ‘sense of adventure’ for days. It’s my sense of maternal instinct that’s the issue here. I don’t want you to head off to some little sleepover only to get carted off ‘cause I wasn't there.”

“Aw, c’mon!” Luz insisted. “It’ll just be the four of us at Willow’s house! We won’t even go anywhere! Besides, you know how chill her dads are.”

Eda pursed her lips, considering it. “Alright, fine,” she said, getting to her feet. “But only if I fly you there. And I’m taking you back first thing in the morning, alright?”

“Great, sounds like a plan!” Luz said. When Eda momentarily turned her back, Luz pumped her fist. It sounded like a plan indeed, and that plan was working so far.

At that moment, King bounded up to her. “Hey, if you’re having a sleepover, can I come too?” he asked. “I’ll bring my jammies!”

“Aww, sorry little buddy!” said Luz, scooping him up. “This one’s gonna be a girls’ night. Sort of a ‘no boys allowed’ type of thing. You understand, right?”

“Yeah, I guess,” he said, sounding only slightly disappointed. “In that case, I’ll just have to--Hey, wait, isn’t illusion boy going to be there?”

“Oh...um…” Luz tried to come up with an answer.

Luckily, Eda seemed to have one at the ready. “Yeah, it’s no boy _ s _ allowed, plural,” she said. “They’re allowed to have  _ one _ .”

“Oh. That makes sense,” King said. “I’ll just have to have a sleepover of my own, then.” He headed upstairs to collect his stuffed animals.

Eda nudged Luz with her elbow. “Used that ol’ excuse a few times back in my day,” she said. “Had a few ‘girls’’ night out myself!”

“I’ll bet!” said Luz. So, that was getting there out of the way. Now all she had to worry about was the fight with Loxton. Hopefully, Amity was having just as easy a time as she was.

______________________________________________________________________

Amity’s mind raced as she held tight to the strap of her bookbag. Taking on a dangerous criminal was one thing--although Luz’s mentor being in danger made matters a bit more pressing at the time--but taking on a branch of the Emperor’s Coven was something entirely different. It was basically declaring war on the Belos-controlled Isles themselves! Plus, it didn’t help that the same criminal had somehow worked his way up the ranks to be the head of this new branch. Another thing on the list of questions to ask her mentor.

Her quiet stroll through the afternoon streets of Bonesborough brought her to the familiar park where she would meet with the leader of the Emperor’s Coven once a month for private lessons. She soon noticed that there were far less people than there usually were. While the park in question was normally not very crowded--most people wanted nothing to do with someone as important as Lilith--but the area inside the fence was completely barren, save for the usual trees.

Once Amity reached their usual meeting place, she understood why. Lilith was standing beside a bench as usual, but she wasn’t alone. There was another figure beside her, one that Amity recognized. Shrike, crouched next to her, gazing at something she couldn’t see. She froze up, unsure of what to do. She couldn’t just run away, she still had her lessons with Lilith. But she didn’t want anything to do with the skull-headed figure. What was he doing here?

Lilith made Amity’s decision for her, looking up and noticing the girl. “Amity, there you are,” she called. She began walking over, and Shrike stood up to follow. “You’re late. I was beginning to worry. Is everything alright?”

Amity’s eyes were fixed on Shrike, his empty eye sockets seeming to stare straight through her. “Um...No, Miss Lilith, I just had to finish up some schoolwork. Sorry for making you wait.”

“Not at all,” said Lilith. “It’s good to know that you’re keeping up on your work. Speaking of which, I imagine you’ve been practicing your fire spell?”

“I have,” Amity said, still focused on their guest. “I’m able to cast it without a practice want now--Er, Miss Lilith, not to be rude, but...I couldn’t help but notice…”

Lilith glanced down at Shrike, who said nothing. “Ah, yes. Amity, I take it you’re already acquainted with Inquisitor Shrike? Emperor Belos has ordered him to accompany us during our monthly training sessions.”

“Indeed,” Shrike said, his non-eyes still focused on Amity. “Lovely to see you again, young Miss Blight.” He held out a slender hand, which Amity reluctantly took. “You needn’t worry about me. Belos simply wanted someone to keep an eye on your progress. You can simply pretend I’m not here.”

“Uh...yeah.” Amity figured that would be easier said than done. Especially when it was pretty obvious he had ulterior motives for keeping an eye on her.

“Now then,” Lilith said, sounding quite like she was changing the subject, “shall we get started? Why don’t we start off with that fire spell you’ve been working on?”

“Certainly.” Amity stepped forward and prepared herself, taking a calming breath. She traced the circle in the air, and a small violet fireball appeared...only to fizzle out just as quickly. Hoping Lilith hadn’t seen, Amity quickly tried again, but got the same result. “I’m sorry,” she sighed, “I’m just feeling a bit...distracted right now.”

“It’s quite alright,” Lilith said, stepping closer. “What is it that’s distracting you?”

“I…” Amity glanced back at Shrike for a moment, before turning to look at Lilith. “I’ve been worried about this whole Inquisition thing.”

Lilith opened her mouth to speak, but Shrike did so before her. “Worried? Young Miss Blight, I assure you that there is nothing to be worried about. It is only the human and the Owl Lady we concern ourselves with.”

“No, it isn’t like that,” Amity said. She thought for a moment, struggling to come up with a lie. “I’m just worried that...I won’t be good enough to join the Emperor’s Coven.” Yes, that would work.

“Oh? And why does the Inquisition make you think this?” asked Shrike.

“Yes, why?” asked Lilith.

_ Great _ , Amity thought.  _ This couldn’t be easy _ . “Um, well...you all seem like you’re replacing the Emperor’s Coven. With how powerful all nine of you are, it seems like there won’t be any need for covensmen anymore.”

Shrike cocked his head to the side. “Amity, I can assure you, we won’t be replacing anything. The formation of the Inquisitorius Magicus was a temporary measure to apprehend the Owl Lady and her apprentice.” It was subtle, but Amity was certain that this statement was partially directed at Lilith. The coven leader seemed to think so as well, as she gave him a quick glare. “Once those two have been apprehended, the Emperor’s Coven proper will resume its usual duties.”

“What Shrike means to say,” Lilith said, “is that there will still be a place among our ranks once you complete your studies. Speaking of which...why don’t you demonstrate your abomination techniques for us?”

Figuring she was not about to get any more information out of either of them anytime soon, Amity obliged. “Yes, Miss Lilith. I’ve been practicing that as well. I won’t disappoint this time!” Amity then drew another spell circle, an abomination rising from the ground.

“Excellent form,” Lilith said. “Shall we run the basic maneuvers?”

“Of course,” Amity said. She stepped forward, ordering the abomination in front of her. As she did so, Shrike appeared beside Lilith unseen.

“She has marvelous form,” he said, almost startling Lilith. Amity directed her abomination through several basic and intermediate commands with expert precision. “I can see why you and Belos have your eyes on her.”

“What I want to know is why Belos wants you here,” Lilith said coldly. “I was under the impression that my students were my own business.”

“Is his eminence allowed no secrets?” Shrike replied, his gaze still fixed on Amity. Lilith said nothing, figuring that inquiring further would be pointless. “She would make an excellent Inquisitor, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Excuse me?” said Lilith, glaring at Shrike.

“Apologies. Merely thinking out loud.” Shrike bowed respectfully before backing off. Lilith returned her focus to Amity, trying to ignore his presence mere feet behind her. She found that was easier said than done.

______________________________________________________________________

“Well then, this is it,” said Luz. “Everyone ready?”

Luz lowered herself from Willow’s bedroom window to the ground, followed by Willow herself, then Gus, and then Amity. Willow helped Gus up, as he had fallen over on his exit.

“I guess so,” she said. “But are you sure  _ you’re _ ready, Luz?”

“Of course,” Luz answered. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I think Willow’s having second thoughts about this,” Gus said. “But don’t worry--I’ll have your back!”

“Of course I’ll have her back,” said Willow, “I’m just worried that this isn’t the best course of action. Shouldn’t you be hiding from the Inquisitors instead of fighting them?”

Luz stepped over, placing a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Willow, I know that this doesn’t seem like the best option, but I can’t run and hide forever. It’s not who I am. Sooner or later, the Inquisition is gonna find me or Eda, andI won’t be prepared to stop them. That’s why I have to strike first! Show them that I’m not just a scared kid! But I can’t ask you to do that with me. This is my fight, and I don’t want to drag any of you into it. So thank you for coming this far, but if you want to turn back now, I understand, and I respect your decision.”

Amity spoke first. “Luz, of  _ course _ we’re coming with you. The Inquisitors may be coming after you, but that’s exactly why we’re fighting them.”

“Yeah!” Gus exclaimed. “Nobody messes with our friend and gets away with it!”

Willow sighed. “I guess you’re right. After all, I can’t just let you run in there by yourselves, can I?” She smiled, lightly punching Luz on the shoulder.

Luz beamed, throwing her hands in the air. “Aw yeah! Operation: Party-Crash has officially begun! Everyone ready?”

“Hang on, hang on!” said Amity. “Willow makes a good point: if the Inquisitors see us, won’t they come after us to take them to Luz?”

Willow looked at her funny. “I mean, I guess that’s  _ sorta _ like what I said…”

“Don’t worry; I thought of everything!” said Gus. With a wave of his finger, what seemed to be a clump of black fabric appeared in his hands. He pulled it apart into three black scarves, handing one to Willow and one to Amity. “There! Now we’ll just be Luz’s faceless accomplices!” He tied the scarf around his mouth. Willow and Amity were skeptical, but tied them on as well.

“Good thinking, Gus!” said Luz. She scanned over the mask-clad trio. “Aww, I couldn’t have asked for a better team of ninja minions!”

“Um, I don’t know about this…” said Amity. “There aren’t that many witches in town with their hair dyed green…”

“Yeah, you do stand out in a crowd,” Luz said. She gasped lightly. “Wait, hang on!” She slipped off her hoodie, handing it to Amity. “Here, put this on!”

Amity stared at the jacket like Luz had just pulled a space alien out of her pocket. “W-what?”

“It’ll cover up your hair!” said Luz. “Go on, what do you have to lose?”

“O-okay…” Amity gingerly picked up the hoodie, pulling it over her head and sliding her arms into the sleeves. “Now what?”

“Put up the hood,” Luz said.

Amity pulled the hood over her head...only for it to cover up her face. “How am I supposed to see with this on?” she asked, her voice muffled by the fabric.

Luz giggled. “That’s because you’ve got it on backwards! Here, let me help.” She stepped over, turning the jacket around once Amity had pulled in her arms again. She then put on the hood, and stepped back to admire her handiwork.

“...What?” asked Amity, puzzled by Luz’s expression.

“You look so cute with little kitty ears!” Luz squeaked. Amity averted eye contact, grateful that her scarf covered up her bright red cheeks. “Okay, enough of that--let’s get moving!”

The four heroes set off towards the center of town. There didn’t seem to be any guard presence, which wasn’t unusual for nighttime in Bonesborough, but struck Luz as odd given the big event. Soon enough, they would hear the murmur of the crowd as they grew closer.

“So,” Luz whispered to Amity, “any news on Loxton’s weaknesses?”

“Oh. Um, about that,” she said. “I didn’t get the chance to ask Lilith about the Inquisition. Shrike was there, and I didn’t want to tip him off to our plan.”

“He was at your meeting with Lilith?” said Gus. “Why is that creep following you?”

“Apparently, Belos ordered him to keep tabs on me,” Amity said. “At this point, I don’t know if I believe that. For all I know, Mattias is using him to spy on me.”

“We’ll deal with him later,” Luz said angrily. “But right now, let’s focus on the music man over there. Gus, scenario: I’m fighting an angry bard. What should I do?”

“Well, first of all, you should get him to stop playing music,” Gus replied. “It’s the source of his power.”

“Alrighty, pretty straightforward,” said Luz. “We’ll work as a team: I’ll keep him distracted, and you guys...you have speakers in this dimension, right?”

“For amplifying sound?” said Willow. “Yeah, they’re pretty standard. Taking them out would probably weaken his power.”

“Exactly!” said Luz. “See, we’re coming up with a plan already! Once we quiet him down a bit, we’ll--”

“Shh! We’re here!” Amity said, pulling Luz aside before she walked into a large crowd. Gus and Willow followed. All of them ducked behind a building, peering out to scan the area.

“Huh. Pretty good turnout,” said Gus, noticing the size of the crowd.

“What do you expect when he doesn’t charge for tickets?” said Amity.

“Okay, let’s wait for him to start, and then we’ll--wait, he doesn't? Why not?”

“Because of his ego,” said Amity. “He wants as many people here as possible, and free admission means a bigger audience.”

Suddenly, the crowd went silent. Bright lights shone down onto the stage. The red curtains slowly parted, and the lights moved with them, keeping the stage itself shrouded in shadow. A magically-amplified voice ran out: “Ladies an’ gentlemen of Bonesborough, welcome to the comeback of the century!”

Some of the crowd started to cheer as a steady drumbeat emanated from the stage, accompanied by a few bass riffs. The lights swept over the crowd, as the music steadily began to build.

“Put yer hands, or tentacles, or whatever you got together for the one...the  _ only _ ...LOXTON!”

The crowd went wild as pyrotechnics exploded behind the band, and the spotlights focused on Loxton. He wore his Inquisitor mask, and the crest folded up behind his head had flared out, now resembling a mohawk rather than a ponytail. He held a staff above his head, to which a spider palisman was attached.

“Now then...let’s get it started!”

He drew a spell circle, which extended into a glowing red line. This line then split into six, each one attaching to one of the palisman’s eight legs. More red lines appeared, forming the shape of an electric guitar over his staff, which he prepared to play.

“FIVE! SIX! SEVEN! EIGHT!”


	8. Crescendo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luz initiates Operation: Party-Crasher, and goes head-to-head with Loxton.

Chapter Eight: Crescendo

______________________________________________________________________

Even more pyrotechnics burst out of the stage as Loxton began to shred. All three young witches recoiled slightly from the noise, but Luz leaned in closer. She found herself getting sucked into the music, bobbing her head to the rhythm. The more Loxton played, the more Luz wondered why exactly they were against him. She just wanted to join in with the crowd and cheer him on…

Luckily, Gus soon brought her back to her senses. “Luz!” He pulled her back as she began to shamble towards the stage. “Don’t let him hypnotize you!”

“Huh? What?” Luz shook her head, trying to focus on her friends rather than the music. “He can do that?”

“Apparently,” said Gus. “It’s pretty rare, but some bards can capture people’s minds with their music, and use it to control them. It’s supposed to be illegal at this scale, though.” Looking closely at the throngs of cheering fans, they almost seemed to be in some sort of trance, their eyes glazed over.

“Pretty sure this guy sees himself as above the law…” said Amity. “Come on, let’s do this quick and get out of here before his friends show up.”

“Good idea; the last thing we need are more Inquisitors showing up,” said Luz. “Alright, everyone follow me, and stay down.”

Luz crept forwards through the crowd, trying to blend in until she was ready to reveal herself. Her friends followed, wearing their disguises. Amity tried to focus, but the booming sounds of Loxton’s music coupled with the roar of the crowd made that difficult, and the spotlights darting around across the audience didn’t help matters.

“You alright?” asked Willow.

“Fine,” Amity assured her. “I’m just not used to big crowds like this. I’ve never been the type to go out to concerts, so all of this is sort of new to me.”

“Same here,” Willow said. “This music’s never really been for me. Someone seems to like it, though.”

As Luz rummaged around in her bag for her glyphs, she was absentmindedly tapping her foot and humming along to the beat. A few times, she began nodding her head, forgetting what she was doing.

“Probably a good thing we came along,” Amity said. “Someone’ll need to keep her on track!”

“Seems that way,” Willow replied.

The young witches had made their way to the center of the crowd. From here, they could clearly see that Loxton was getting lost in his music, paying no attention to his surroundings. Behind him, the bass and drums were being played by none other than Ulrich and Aidan, Mattias’ old ‘associates.’ Luz didn’t know or care why they were there, as she was more focused on getting the star’s attention.

“Alright guys, stand back! Here we go!” Producing two glyphs from her pouch, Luz threw one at the ground. A small pillar of ice appeared, lifting her up above the rest of the throngs around her. For good measure, she tossed the other glyph into the air. A beacon of light shot up above her head, almost like an arrow pointing her out.

At first, Loxton didn’t care. He was used to fans pulling all sorts of crazy stunts at his venues, but rarely did anything so long as it didn’t affect his playing. He was of the belief that the show must go on, only giving the crazy fan with the ice and light spells a quick glance. His tune quickly changed, literally, once he saw who it was. His guitar playing slowed to a halt, and he held up his hand to stop the other two. Both of them stopped playing as well, and they, and the fans, looked around in confusion to try and find what was wrong.

“Well, well, well!” Loxton placed the end of his staff on the ground, stepping to the edge of the stage. “Lookit who decided to join the party!” Loxton slicked back his ‘hair’ as he met Luz’s gaze. “Makin’ my job too easy, you are!”

“Loxton of the Inquisitorius Magicus!” Luz proclaimed dramatically. “I, Luzura, warrior of peace, have come to--”

“Yadda yadda yadda, you’ve come to ruin my comeback,” Loxton said, waving his hand dismissively. “Can any of this wait until _after_ I’ve finished?”

“You’re finished now!” Luz declared, throwing a glyph at Loxton. He simply deflected it with his staff, where the icicle it became buried itself into the wall inches from Ulrich’s startled head. “As I was about to say, I challenge you to a witches’ duel!”

Loxton snickered. “A duel, eh? What, you’re just gonna take me on all by your lonesome?”

“No...because I have allies!” Luz threw out her arms, indicating for her friends to reveal themselves. Amity, Willow, and Gus all stepped out from behind the ice pillar, still wearing their disguises. “But I imagine a powerful Inquisitor like yourself won’t be needing any help.”

“HA! You and your little band of misfits got a deal!” said Loxton. “If it’s a duel you want, it’s a duel you’ll get!”

The crowd was beginning to grow impatient. “Where’s the music?” someone called out.

“Oi! We’re in the middle of some serious business, I’ll bring the music back when I’m good and ready!” snapped Loxton. He picked his staff back up, cradling it like a guitar again. “Actually...maybe it’s about time we started playing again. Okay boys, let’s rock the house!”

Loxton pointed the head of his guitar at the young witches, and strummed a chord with a wild flourish. A shockwave blasted through the crowd, throwing most of the audience to either side of the plaza. Luz’s ice pillar shattered, leaving her to fall over and be caught by her friends. “Are you okay?” asked Amity.

“Peachy,” said Luz, getting a glyph out of her bag. “Get ready, it’s go time!” She ran forward, standing in front of the stage. “Do your words, cretin!”

“Gladly!” Loxton’s frill billowed out again as he began to play. Powerful pulses of pure sound energy were blasted out not only from his guitar, but from the two speakers on either side of the stage. Luz threw a fire glyph, but it was blown away by the force of the sounds.

“We won’t be able to reach him like this!” said Gus, having to shout to be heard over Loxton’s playing. “Someone has to take out those speakers!”

“Gus, that sounds like a perfect job for you!” said Willow. “You can turn invisible, can’t you?”

“I can try!” Gus replied.

“Alright, let’s turn down the volume!” Luz flung a plant glyph down in front of her, creating a tangle of vines that dampened the noise, but only slightly. Gus created a duplicate of himself, while going invisible and sneaking off towards the stage. “Once he’s done, Amity’ll send an abomination after him to distract him, and Willow, you’ll--”

Something collided against the vine shield, interrupting Luz’s plan. It hit again, a projectile of some sort. Loxton had stopped jamming out, and now aimed his guitar at the shield, a bolt of red energy firing out each time he played a chord. He smirked as the barrier slowly but surely began to fail.

“Hold on!” Willow held out her hands, and the vines started pulling themselves back into shape. Loxton’s spells continued hammering against them, with holes beginning to break through it. “Just a bit longer…”

Despite Willow’s best efforts, the barrier was beginning to fail. “I’ll take care of this guy!” said Luz, running around the plant shield.

“Luz! Wait!” Amity shouted after her, but she was already gone. With a groan of frustration, Amity followed.

Luz produced another fire glyph, throwing it in Loxton’s direction. He dodged at the last moment, where it set Aidan’s drums alight, causing the startled demon to jump to his feet. Loxton’s eyes were now on Luz, and he fired a blast at her.

“Abomination, protect!” An abomination rose from the ground, pushing Luz out of harm’s way. The beam blasted a hole through the abomination’s torso, but it was quickly filled up. “Luz!”

“Amity!” Luz called back, getting to her feet. She ran over to the girl, the abomination standing behind her. Luz produced another glyph, preparing to throw it.

“Alright, I’m done playing your little games!” Loxton said. As he grew angrier, his palisman’s free legs began to twitch. “One way or another, you’re comin’ with me to HQ, and then you’re taking us to the Owl Lady!”

“Never!” Luz shouted.

“Oh, we’ll see about that!” Loxton was about to strum another chord, but a loud crash to his side threw him off. One of his speakers had been pushed off the side of the stage, the flickery form of Gus standing just behind where it had been. “Hey!”

Loxton played a single note, which dispelled Gus’ invisibility spell. Once he realized he could now be seen, he looked up at the rockstar nervously. “Hey man! Big fan of your music!” he said.

“Oh, good. Then how about I play some for you?” Loxton aimed his guitar at Gus, and raised his hand above his head.

“Gus!” Willow reached out towards him, and the vines from Luz’s glyph shot forward. Before Loxton could play another chord, they had wrapped around him.

“Oi!” she shouted indignantly. “That’s cheating, that is!” He would have said more, but Luz threw a glyph at him, encasing his mouth in ice.

“Quick, the other speaker!” said Luz.

“On it!” With Aidan and Ulrich doing nothing to stop him, Gus ran over to the second speaker, and toppled it over the edge, where it crashed to the ground.

The gang of four didn’t have time to celebrate their small victory, however, as a deep hum began to emanate from Loxton’s throat. It built in intensity, until he finally released an impressive death metal scream that shattered the ice and blew the vines into pieces. Everything on the stage, Gus included, was blown back as well.

It was becoming increasingly clear to Aidan and Ulrich that they were in over their heads. “Let’s get out of here while we still can!” said the latter, picking himself up.

The former nodded. “Agreed!” The two of them ran off.

Loxton, suspended in the air, hovered over to Luz. “To be honest, I didn’t think a humie like yourself could do magic,” he said. “But even with those trick cards of yours, you’re still no match for a _real_ witch!” He aimed his guitar at her once again.

“Abomination, shield!” shouted Amity. Her abomination moved to shield her and Luz from Loxton’s attack, taking on a thicker consistency as it did so. Loxton fired another bolt of energy, which failed to pierce it’s jelly-like form this time. He fired another, and another, growing frustrated.

Luz and Amity both crouched beneath the abomination’s protective embrace. “So, any other ideas?” asked Luz.

“Me? You’re supposed to be the one with ideas!” Amity said. “Didn’t you plan for this?”

“Not really!” Luz admitted. “I just thought we’d make it up as we went!”

Unable to get past the abomination, Loxton switched tactics. His magical bolts were replaced with a low drone from his guitar, which the witches could feel in their very cores. The abomination began to vibrate, it’s viscous body not agreeing with the tones.

“Do you hear that?” asked Luz.

“I _feel_ that,” Amity said. “What’s he doing?”

Under continuous assault from the constant droning sound, the abomination was shaken apart. It burst into slime, knocking both girls to the ground. Loxton cackled, stepping forward as Luz struggled to her feet. “I think it’s about time for a change of genre, don’t you?”

He began to play his guitar again, but this time it was a much gentler tune. Not only that, but the guitar had switched from electric to acoustic as well. As she stood up, Luz tried to remember why she was there, but she couldn’t--her mind could only focus on the hauntingly beautiful melody.

“Where...am I…?” asked Luz, her eyes glazing over.

Still playing, Loxton grinned wider still. “Wherever you wanna be, girlie. Just come with me, and you’ll never have to worry about anything ever again!”

“Ugh...Luz!” Amity struggled to stand. “Abomination, do something!” The scattered pieces of her abomination slowly slid along the ground to coalesce, but Luz was already almost in Loxton’s clutches.

Luz walked forwards, under his spell. “‘Step into my parlor,’ said the spider to the fly!” Loxton murmured as she grew closer. A cluster of crimson threads rose up from the ground beneath her, preparing to wrap themselves around her body.

Just before they could do so, however, Loxton took a purple fireball to the face. He stumbled back, his grip on Luz faltering for a moment. He glared angrily in the direction it had come from, finding Amity pointing another spell circle at him. “Okay then, looks like I’ll hafta deal with _two_ children today!” He shoved Luz aside, stepping towards Amity.

Before he could get far, however, something wrapped around his wrist. He turned around to see Willow sending a vine in his direction, Gus beside her.

“Make that _four_ ,” he muttered angrily. He tore his arm free from Willow’s vine, and resumed playing his music, firing magical beams at her and the others.

With Loxton distracted, Luz was no longer under his spell. “Woah...sorry guys, spaced out there for a second…” she said, rubbing her eyes. “What did I...guys!”

All three of her friends were fighting Loxton, who seemed a good deal tougher than Luz had anticipated. His shockwaves of pure sound were able to tear through Willow’s vines, Gus’ illusions, and Amity’s abominations. Not that the three of them weren’t trying their hardest, but their enemy was slowly but surely gaining ground as he tired them out.

“Great idea, by the way, taking on an Inquisitor on his home turf!” said Loxton. “Music is who I am! Rock flows through my veins! You can’t resist it’s power!”

Luz rummaged through her bag of glyphs, trying to find one that could put him out of commission, but she didn’t have many options. However, something then caught her eye; something that she had forgotten about, having not needed to use them in some time. “Explosion glyph…” she said quietly, taking out the small slip of paper.

Loxton played another chord, blowing back the three combatants. “Ugh! We can’t beat this guy!” said Gus. “What should we do?”

“There’s no shame in running!” suggested Willow.

“I don’t know if we _can_ run!” said Amity, as Loxton bore down on them.

“Well, that was entertaining,” Loxton said, “but I’ve ‘ad enough. Time for you thorns to go night-night.” He raised his arm above his head, preparing to finish the three of them off.

“Hey!” Loxton turned around at the shout, just in time to see Luz slap him in the face. He staggered backwards, growling angrily.

“What is with you lot!?” he shouted. “Can’t you recognize when you’ve been beaten!? Ah, who’m I kidding? The only thing you know is violence!” He failed to notice the glyph that Luz had placed on his forehead until it began to glow. “Now I’ve gotta teach you all--Uh-oh.”

Loxton was blasted back by the explosion, crashing into the stage. The wood splintered and cracked, causing the beams above to fall out of place. The entire stage fell apart, collapsing in on itself, burying Loxton beneath a pile of spotlights and curtains.

Gus leapt to his feet. “Yeah! Now _that’s_ a grand finale! You showed him, Luz!”

Luz chuckled. “Couldn’t have done it without you,” she said, offering a hand to help Willow to her feet.

“I guess it _is_ a good thing we came along,” Willow said. “Someone had to bail you out of trouble, after all!”

“And I couldn’t have asked for a better group of ninja minions to be there for me,” Luz said. “Come on, let’s get out of here before--”

All of a sudden, the entire plaza was beset by a horrible high-pitched ringing. All four of them clasped their hands over their ears, trying to block out the sound. “What _is_ that!?” shouted Amity, but nobody seemed to hear her.

“Leaving before the encore? That’s awfully rude, don’t you think?” Loxton shoved the rubble aside, the terrible noise coming from a spell circle in his hand. He pointed with his other hand; “Get ‘er!”

Another tangle of bright red threads wrapped itself around Luz, and she was pulled back towards him. The threads had emerged from Loxton’s palisman, and try as she might, Luz couldn't’ break them. “Hey! Lemme go, you cheater!”

“Great catch, Marylin!” said Loxton to his palisman. “Now then, I’d love to stay and chat, but I’m wanted at the Emperor’s Palace, so I’ll just be off now.” He picked up Luz, slinging her over his shoulder.

“Luz!” Amity ran forward, joined by Willow and Gus. They didn’t get far, as Loxton drew another spell circle, sending that same noise back at them. The three of them covered their ears again, falling to the ground.

“It was a good effort, really,” Loxton said. “For what it’s worth, you four did a lot better than I expected a couple’a children to do.” Loxton didn’t notice as a shadow fell over him. “Let this be a lesson to you next time you get the bright idea to go after an...Inquisitor...what is that?”

Loxton looked up at the source of the shadow. A figure hovered in front of the moon, and it was instantly obvious who it was. Luz gasped. “Eda!”

Eda smirked as she descended. “Hey, kid! Need some help?”

Loxton set Luz down, looking more annoyed than anything else. “You are having a laugh!” He unleashed his sound spell against her the moment she touched down. Eda was pushed back, but managed to hold her ground. She responded with a blast of fire, which couldn’t reach him, as it too was blown back.

Switching up her tactics, Eda drove her staff into the ground. A localized quake traveled from her to Loxton, shaking the cobblestones beneath him. Off-balance, his spell ceased, which is when Eda made her move. Faster than Luz could see, Eda darted up to Loxton, slamming her staff into him. The Inquisitor was sent flying, crashing directly into a building. He traveled through the window, a door, and several tables, before his momentum was halted by a wall. Her enemy vanquished, Eda brushed her bangs aside. “Anyone else?” she said. “No? Good.”

Luz ran over to her. “Eda, you’re here! How’d you know we needed help?”

“I remembered today was the day Grel over here was throwing his big concert,” Eda said, placing her palm on Luz’s head. “I put two and two together, and figured you weren’t having a sleepover!”

Luz blushed. “Yeah...sorry about that! Wait...you knew I was lying, but you let me go anyway?”

“Yeah, sure,” Eda said with a shrug. “I figured as long as I came along, you’d be alright. Besides, I haven't been to a Loxton concert in years!”

“Wait, you know about Loxton too?” asked Amity.

“Sure do,” Eda continued. “He may be evil now, but dang if he didn’t grind out some rockin’ tunes!”

Willow groaned. “Speak for yourself…”

Eda gestured to the four kids. “Alright, whaddya say we get outta this place before Music Man swallows his pride and calls for backup?”

“Yeah, let’s get gone!” said Luz. The five of them left the square behind. “I bet he’ll think twice before coming after us now, though!”

In the commotion, nobody had noticed someone else watching the concert, and the ensuing conflict. Perched atop the nearby rooftops, a palisman shaped like a bull, and carved from metal, watched Eda and the others walk off. It quickly darted from roof to roof as it followed after them.

______________________________________________________________________

“...and then, when he had Luz hypnotized, Amity just drills him in the face with a fireball!” said Gus. “She was like, ‘Hey, that’s _my_ human! Hands off!’” The five of them walked through the forest, illuminated by moonlight.

Eda chuckled. “Yup, I saw that. Quick thinking, Blight.”

“Oh, it was nothing,” Amity said.

“Speaking of quick thinking, Luz, when you hit him with that explosion spell?” Gus continued. “I meant it when I called that a grand finale!”

“Aw, thanks!” said Luz. “I realized I still had some left over from our fight with Mattias. It’s kinda poetic; taking out his cronies with the same spell I learned from him!”

“Let’s just hope you won’t have to use it again,” said Eda. “Ah, who am I kidding? We’re going after more of these guys, aren’t we?”

“Are we?” asked Luz. “I kinda figured this was a one-time thing.”

“I’ve been doing some thinking about that,” Eda continued. “Luz, you’re right; they’re coming for us. So we definitely need to do something about them. And what better way to do that than to send them a message, one by one?”

“Y-you mean it?” said Luz. “We’re really gonna take them on?”

Eda shot a grin back at her. “You know it! We’re gonna show them what happens when they mess with the Owl Lady, plus her apprentice, plus her friends. Just promise me you won’t go anywhere without me anymore, alright?”

“That shouldn’t be a problem if you’re coming along with us!” said Luz. She turned back to the other. “What do you say? You up for a few more scraps?”

“If Eda’s coming with us?” said Willow. “Sure, why not?”

“Great!” said Luz. “Why don’t you come by tomorrow, and we can start planning our attack?”

“Sure, sounds good,” said Gus. “Oh! Speaking of, if we’re not actually having a sleepover, I should probably get going. Catch you all tomorrow!”

“Yeah, my dads might realize we’re gone soon,” said Willow. “Bye guys!”

Luz waved goodbye to her friends. “I, uh, should probably get going, too,” said Amity. “Tonight was...it was fun, though. I’d like to do something like this again.”

“Yeah, me too,” said Luz. “Um...anyway, could I have my…?”

“Huh? Oh!” Amity suddenly remembered that she was still wearing Luz’s sweater. “Sorry, sorry, totally forgot about that!” She began to slip it off.

“If you wanna borrow it, that’s fine!” said Luz. “I could always wear something else!”

“No, no, take it,” Amity said, handing it back to her. “Anyways...See you tomorrow!” She quickly ran off before Luz even had time to respond.

“...See ya,” Luz said after she had left. She joined back up with Eda, who gave a knowing smile.

The two soon found themselves back at the Owl House. “Hoot! How was the show?” asked Hooty.

“Oh, it was vicious!” said Eda. “They really brought the house down.” It was Luz’s turn to smile knowingly.

“I wish I could’ve gone,” said Hooty, swinging open. “It’s hard being an inanimate object sometimes...Hoot!”

“Tell ya what,” said Eda. “I think I’ve got a few of Loxton’s old records sitting around here somewhere. I’ll dig ‘em up and play ‘em for you, sound good?”

“Hoot!” said Hooty, which was apparently a yes.

“It’ll be nice to listen to his music while he isn’t trying to kidnap me!” said Luz.

The door shut behind them. Unknown to any of them, the same palisman from before was watching them from the bushes with its beady eyes. It darted off in the direction of the Emperor’s Palace.

______________________________________________________________________

Within his study at the Palace, Mattias paced back and forth across the room. “What do you think?” he said. “Should I have asked her?”

“I do not know, High Inquisitor Mattias,” said Briares, who stood nearby. “I too am unfamiliar with the intricacies of love.”

“Couldn’t have hurt to try,” Mattias continued, mostly to himself. “What would I even have said? ‘Lily, would you like to--’ No, too casual. ‘Lily, Loxton is putting on a concert in Bonesborough. Would you like to accompany me?’ Hmm, that might’ve worked. Maybe if I had mentioned something about her sister… Briares, what do you think?”

“I think it is too late now,” Briares replied.

“Okay, but hypothetically, what would you have said if you were asking her out?”

“Hmm…” Briares thought for a moment. “I would have said ‘Lilith Clawthorne, I wish for you to accompany me to Inquisitor Loxton’s concert tonight.’ And then she would agree. And then we would go.”

Mattias sighed. “I don’t know why I keep asking you people for advice,” he said under his breath.

Something in the corner of the room caught Briares’ eye. “What is this?” A tiny metal bull stepped out of the shadows. “Ah, Minos has returned!” He reached down, lifting up the palisman in his palm. “What news do you bring for me, my friend?” He was silent for a moment, hearing his palisman’s thoughts. “Oh? Most concerning indeed. ...What? And you are certain? This changes everything!”

“What is it?” asked Mattias.

“Just hours ago, Inquisitor Loxton’s concert was interrupted by Luz the Human and a band of unidentified allies,” Briares explained. “Inquisitor Loxton was unable to apprehend them.”

“You mean to tell me they got the best of him!?” said Mattias. “A human took down one of my Inquisitors!?”

“There is more,” Briares continued. “Inquisitor Loxton would have succeeded, if not for the intervention of Edalyn Clawthorne. He was defeated, while she and the others escaped.”

“ _Excellent_ ,” Mattias hissed. “And this changes everything _how_ , exactly?”

“Because after Edalyn Clawthorne left the scene, Minos gave chase,” Briares said. “She led him directly to the hut that she calls home. We found it, High Inquisitor Mattias. We found the Owl House.”

Mattias’ demeanor changed almost immediately, going from displeased to excited within seconds. “Is that so?” he said. “And your palisman is sure of this?”

“Minos is no eagle, but his eyes are never wrong,” Briares said, as Minos retook his place atop his master’s hammer. “I swear my honor on it.”

“In that case...gather the others,” Mattias said. “Inform them of what you told me. We move in at dawn.”

Briares nodded. “Yes, High Inquisitor Mattias. It will be done.” He stepped out, leaving the High Inquisitor alone.

Mattias stared out the window in the general direction of Bonesborough. “So, you thought you could hide, Eda? You and your little pet? You should have known, nobody slights an Archoman and gets away with it. Sleep well, for come sunrise, I will have my payback…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh-oh!


	9. Unwelcome Guests

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Owl House comes under attack by the Inquisition.

Chapter Nine: Unwelcome Guests

______________________________________________________________________

As the morning sun cast a beam across her face, Luz rolled over in her sleep to keep the light out of her eyes. Despite her best efforts, she awoke, sitting up as she yawned and stretched. She got to her feet as she rubbed the last bit of sleep from her eyes, the excitement of last night’s events having been all but forgotten. But despite that, the anticipation of today’s and tomorrow’s were as alive as ever. Luz made her way into the kitchen.

There, she found Eda and King already at the table. “So,” she said, “what’re we doin’ today?”

“This,” King said, sipping juice. He didn’t even look up from his newspaper comic.

“I thought you were the one who wanted to start planning our attack on the Inquisition,” Eda said.

“Well, yeah, but that’s not going to take the whole day,” Luz replied. “Besides, Amity and Willow and Gus probably won’t show up until this afternoon. I was wondering what we could do ‘til then.”

Eda thought about this as Luz sat down. “Not a whole lot going on today. I don’t have my potion route, you don’t have school, King doesn’t have...whatever King does on a daily basis.”

“Important, kingly business,” he said. “Fit only for the King of Demons.”

“So, what do you want to do?” asked Eda.

“Well…” Luz kicked her feet beneath her chair. “If we’ve got some time, you could always teach me some more magic. I’ve only got five spells, I could always do with some more. Especially if we’re gonna take on those Inquisitors!”

Eda smirked. “Wanna add some more oomph to your arsenal, huh? I guess I could see what I have in store! What exactly were you thinking about?”

After only thinking for a moment, Luz knew. “I figure I have a pretty good number of offensive spells, how about something defensive? Maybe you could demonstrate a shield spell for me?”

“Hoot hoot!  _ I _ know what we can do today!” said the unwelcome owl head, pushing past Eda as he made his way into the group.

“Speaking of offensive…” muttered King, taking another sip.

“Hooty, we already know what we’re doing today, get your nonexistent butt back in that door,” Eda said, clearly irritated.

“I know, but I wasn’t included!” said Hooty. “I want to do something that involves me instead!”

“If you want, Hooty, you can watch me practice magic,” Luz said, trying to sound nice. “Maybe you can help me!”

“You can’t let him do that to ya,” Eda said. “Give him an inch and he takes a mile. Hooty, get back out there before--” Suddenly, Eda went silent. Her eyes widened, fixed on something seen through the now-opened door. “Hooty,” she said, her tone now hushed and urgent, “close the door.”

“Aww, am I not invited?” whined the door demon.

Eda slowly rose to her feet. She held out her arm, and her staff flew to her hand. Her gaze was still on the outside. “Close the door.” Hooty, realizing something was amiss, retracted himself and sealed the front door tight.

“What’s wrong, Eda?” Luz asked. She didn’t see Eda like this often, but she knew that it was serious when she did.

“Someone’s out there,” Eda replied, stepping in front of King and Luz. “And not one of your friends.” She walked up to the door.

“You think it’s someone from the Emperor’s Coven?” Rather than wait for an answer, Luz walked up to the door as well, only to be stopped when Eda held out an arm. “Should I go get my glyphs?” Eda didn’t answer as she looked through the peephole. “Oookay, I’m gonna go get my glyphs.”

Luz retreated back to her room while Eda looked outside. It wasn’t just that she had seen a figure moving; this same figure had been massive, almost impossible to miss. Now certain that he had been seen, the mountainous demon stepped clear of what little cover he had into clear view of the house’s occupants.

“Edalyn Clawthorne!” came the bellowing voice of Briares. “By order of Emperor Belos and High Inquisitor Mattias Archoman, we have come to arrest you and the Human Luz! Your domicile is surrounded! Surrender yourself peacefully, and neither you nor the human will be harmed!”

As Luz hurried back into the living room, pouch of glyphs in hand, another voice responded. “What, did those horns grow into your brain? You never announce yourself during an ambush!” This voice belonged to Mandrake.

“It is customary to give your opponent ample opportunity to surrender!” Briares replied. As he and Mandrake began to argue, Eda sighed.

“Alright, party’s over. Send ‘em packin, Hooty.”

“Party time, Hoot!” With that, Hooty shot out of the door like a rocket, his face colliding with Briares. The towering Inquisitor stumbled back, slightly dazed, but wasn’t knocked out. He reached for his hammer, but Hooty wrapped himself around his arm, preventing him from grabbing it. “I was just talking about how I had nothing to do today! How nice of you to drop by!”

Briares growled in indignation, unable to remove Hooty from around his arm. “I will handle this overgolem, you enter the house and apprehend our targets!”

“Got it!” Just then, something hit the window to the right. Everyone turned to see Mandrake staring in at them. “Knock knock! Let me in!”

“Not on your life!” Eda simply closed the blinds.

“Oh no? Then I’ll huff, and puff, and tear this place to splinters!” Loud scraping sounds could be heard outside, which were undoubtedly vines looking for weaknesses in the walls.

In addition to that, something big landed on the roof. Whatever it was, it seemed to be looking for openings as well. “Um, Eda?” said Luz. “Any chance of them getting inside?”

“Not likely,” Eda said. “Nobody gets in here unless I want ‘em to.”

“Is that so?” Luz’s heart skipped a beat at the voice coming from right behind them. All three of them wheeled around as Stygma rose up from the floor. Each of her four hands held a spell circle. She aimed them at the trio, but Eda acted before she could.

With a twirl of her staff, Eda summoned a large pillar of stone from the ground, bursting through the floor just as Stygma fired beams of blue light from her hands. Eda pulled Luz and King closer behind the cover as the beams chipped away at its sides.

Stygma rounded the pillar, combining her four spell circles into a single larger one. “You can’t run from us forever, Owl Lady!” she shouted, preparing to unleash her attack.

“I can, and I will!” Eda stepped in front of Luz and King, drawing a large spell circle of her own. Stygma’s blue beam was met with a yellow one, sparks flying from the colliding attacks. Luz rooted through her pouch for a glyph.

“Hold on, Eda!” Luz shouted. “Just give me a minute!”

“Eda can handle this! It’s  _ us _ we should be worried about!” King said. Just then, Eda and Stygma broke off their beams with a massive shockwave, blowing back just about everything in the room. Luz picked up the Demon with her free hand, lifting him up to her hoodie, which he enthusiastically climbed into.

“You seem a bit fatigued,” Stygma said, preparing another spell. “Perhaps I can help with that!” A ball of energy appeared before her, growing larger as she absorbed power from her surroundings. She raised it behind her head, preparing to throw it, when Luz flung a fire glyph in her direction.

Although the fire only seemed to bother her a little bit, the sphere of energy exploded, launching Stygma against the wall. She grunted in pain, before disappearing through it with a glare at the human. “Ha!” said Luz, pleased with her small victory. “And don’t come back!”

“Don’t celebrate just yet, kid,” said Eda. “We’re a long way from done here!”

As he continued to wrestle with Hooty, Briares eventually gained something of an advantage, yanking on him hard enough to pull the door open. “Inquisitor Mandrake, here is your opening!” he shouted.

Before either Luz or Eda had time to react, the room was suddenly filled with vines blocking their only escape. Before either of them could head upstairs to avoid the encroaching plantlife, Stygma reentered through the same wall, glaring daggers at them both. Her body crackled with bright blue energy, which seemed to be flowing into her from outside. She let out a shockwave of this energy as she began charging up another beam attack.

Eda grabbed onto Luz’s arm. “New plan: hold on tight!” She spun her staff towards the vine-covered doorway, creating a large spell circle. Just as an enormous wave of fire incinerated the blockage, she pulled Luz and King through the door and outside. “Let’s go!”

In front of them, Briares was still struggling to remove Hooty from his arm. To their left, Mandrake was seemingly dazed from Eda’s fire attack. Suddenly, Luz caught a glimpse of movement from a nearby tree: Sanguinus was perched on a branch, preparing to strike.

As soon as she saw him, Sanguinus leapt towards them. Rather than a staff or spell circle, he held a long, thin sword above his head, aiming for not either of them, but Hooty’s vulnerable neck.

“No you don’t!” said Eda, throwing an arm towards him. A circular portal appeared in his path, and he travelled through it before he could reach Hooty. Luz saw him falling from the sky a short distance away.

“Thanks, hoot!” replied Hooty. However, this brief lapse was enough for Briares to gain the upper hand. Wrapping his hand around Hooty’s head, he yanked with all his might, and his strength was enough to pull the Owl House’s door off of it’s hinges.

The door slammed into a nearby tree, further loosening his grip on Briares. The giant followed up on this by smashing Hooty’s head into the ground, causing him to let go completely. He raised his foot to stomp on the owl, only for a blast of fire to knock him back.

Eda rushed over to Hooty, who had retracted back into his door. “Hooty, speak to me!” she said, lifting him up. “Are you hurt!?”

“Hootality…” Hooty said, dazed, his eyes rolling around. “Hoot…”

Deciding he was fine, Eda tucked the door under her arm before turning back to Luz. “Kid, we need to get out of here,” she said.

“And go where?” Luz asked.

“Anywhere!” Eda replied, returning to her protege. Before they could run off, however, Mandrake blocked their path.

“Not today, lady,” he said. “You already got away from us once--the human twice--we’re not letting that happen again.”

Mandrake blocked their exit to the right, and Briares stood up, wielding his hammer, blocking their path straight ahead. Sanguinus reappeared, cutting his way through the forest, and their escape off to the right. Stygma blocked the door to the Owl House, and Caelano perched on its roof. “End of the line, Owl Lady,” said Stygma.

Eda looked around, trying to find an escape route, but they were surrounded on all sides. Although, she realized, there was one way they weren’t covering. “Luz?” she said. “I think it’s time to show these clowns the light.”

It only took Luz a second to pick up on her meaning. “Ah! Gotcha!” She reached into her bag and pulled out a glyph, squeezing her eyes tight as she threw it into the air. The light glyph burst in a huge flash, momentarily blinding the Inquisitors. Eda took this moment to unleash a sweeping burst of flame, further putting them out of commission, but she figured it wouldn’t be for long. Once the fire had knocked each of them back, she placed Luz onto her staff, hopped on it as well, and took to the skies.

Mandrake got to his feet, unsteady because of the burns. “Dammit, she’s getting away!” he yelled. “Someone do something!”

“On it,” Caelano said. She took to the skies as Stygma tended to the others.

Luz gripped tightly to the staff, and she could feel King doing the same to the back of her neck. She knew going up against the Inquisitors wasn’t going to be easy, but she had never expected them to make the first move. How had they even found them? “Eda?” she asked shakily. “What do we do now?”

“First, we lose ‘em,” Eda replied. “Once they’re off our tail, we’ll have to find somewhere to lay low, somewhere they won’t think to look for us.”

“But...what about the Owl House?” asked Luz.

“Right now, it’s theirs,” Eda said. “We’ll worry about that later. Right now, we’re all safe, and that’s what matters.” Hooty, usually the talkative one, stayed silent.

For Luz, this didn’t quite feel real. In less than an hour, five of the nine Inquisitors had managed to completely overwhelm Eda and her, take over the Owl House, and send them running. Her confidence that she would be able to take them on, even with help, was slowly vanishing, and she shuddered to imagine what all nine of them at once could-- “Look out!”

Eda swerved to the side just in time to avoid Caelano attempting to ram into them. Her talons grazed by, narrowly missing Eda’s shoulder. If Luz thought she was holding on tight before, now she almost felt like she was going to snap the staff apart.

“This is gonna get bumpy!” Eda said, continuing her evasive maneuvers. “Hold on tight!”

“What do you think I’ve been doing!?” yelled King, before Luz could say the same thing.

Caelano had abandoned her divebombing strategy, and now attempted to intercept the trio-plus-Hooty by placing transparent walls in their path. The glass-like barriers were just visible enough for Eda to dodge and weave between, but Caelano was practically blanketing the skies with them.

Just when it seemed like Eda was getting away from the bird woman, there was a disturbance in the trees below them. All of a sudden, a flock of birds burst up from the forest towards them. They moved erratically individually, but as a group they were too coordinated to be natural. Both Eda and Luz were disoriented by the sudden assault of flapping feathers and noisy cries. Neither of them noticed the barrier in front of them until it was right on top of them.

Just as they exited the cloud of noisy birds, the barrier appeared right in front of them. Eda tried to swerve to the side, but it was too late; their momentum carried them directly at it. Just before the impact, however, Hooty rushed forwards out of his door with a determined “Hoot!” He took the brunt of the impact, the barrier shattering into shards of glass. Despite this, however, Eda lost control of Owlbert, and they plummeted towards the ground.

As they fell, Eda summoned a barrier of her own, creating a yellow bubble around all of them before they hit the ground. As they crashed through tree branches on their way down, they were all jostled around quite a bit. Luz’s grip on the staff loosened, as did King’s grip on her. The barrier disappeared, though Luz wasn’t sure if it was just before or after they hit the ground. Either way, for a moment, everything went black.

______________________________________________________________________

Luz came to lying in the grass, her head pounding. She looked around, trying to get a grasp on her surroundings. The first thing she saw was Eda, trying to pull herself to her feet. Hooty lay nearby in his door, seemingly unconscious. “E-Eda?” she said weakly. “I can’t find King…”

“I’m sure he’s nearby,” Eda said, staggering over to Luz and helping her up. “He’s survived worse, and so have we.” She glanced around as well, searching for the demon. However, while she didn’t find him, she did find another figure standing nearby. She pulled Luz behind her.

Sanguinus slowly walked towards the two of them sword by his side. “So,” he said calmly. “We meet again.”

Eda gave him a strange look. “I’m sorry, am I supposed to know who you are?”

“No, I suppose not,” Sanguinus replied. “We only met once, a long while ago. I tried to capture you then, too.”

“Huh,” Eda said. “Some things never change.”

“Indeed.” A pause. “He wants you alive, you know.” He glanced at Luz. “Her, too. If you’d just cooperate, it would make things so much easier.”

Eda held out her hand, and her staff flew into it once again. “If you’ve tangled with me before, you know that’s not my style, bud.”

Sanguinus nodded. “I suspected as much. I’m a man of action myself, as well.” He drew a spell circle, but it vanished seemingly with no effect.

Luz and Eda waited for a moment for something to happen. Sanguinus stood there in silence, not making a move. Then, off in the distance, they heard it: a slight rustling in the leaves, growing closer and closer. Luz glanced up at Eda nervously, realizing that whatever this was, it had to be pretty big, and fast. Sanguinus chuckled quietly.

With an explosion of foliage, a massive shape burst through the undergrowth. Luz only had time to make out its rust-colored skin and piercing eyes before Eda pushed her out of the way. “Run!” Eda shouted to her, a burst of fire further obscuring the creature. Luz normally would have stayed to help, but the burst of adrenaline made running seem like the only option. She sprinted away from the scene as fast as her legs could carry her.

As she ran, she heard Sanguinus call out. “Ophelia, retrieve her! I’ll handle this one!” More loud footsteps told Luz that his beast was following after her. She rooted around in her pouch, throwing a plant glyph behind her. A tangle of vines burst up from the ground, which she hoped would be enough to slow the thing down.

It wasn’t. The tremendous shape leapt over the blockage, and resumed chase. Ophelia seemed to be a massive reptilian beast with six pointed legs. She opened her maw to screech at the fleeing human, inspiring Luz to run even faster. Just as she was gaining, a small shape darted out of a nearby bush.

“Stop! Your king commands you!” said King, standing between Luz and Ophelia. “Leave her alone!”

Ophelia didn’t care in the slightest, passing right over the small demon. “King!” Luz called out, unable to see if he was hurt or not. What she did see was Ophelia leaping off of a tree, directly in front of her. She skidded to a halt, falling onto the ground. The monster stalked forward, growling slightly as Luz backed away. “N-nice giant, monster lizard thing!”

“You dare defy your king!?” King ran forwards past Luz, jumping right up onto Ophelia’s face. The monster reared back, surprised by his sudden maneuver. “Luz, run away! I’ll handle this guy!”

Unfortunately, but expectedly, King was unable to handle Ophelia for long. She easily shook him off, and he tumbled to the ground. None too happy with having been distracted from pursuing her target, she bore down on him, growling.

“Hey!” It was Luz’s turn to rescue King. “I’m the one you’re after, not him! You want me, come and get me!” Luz ploy worked. Ophelia lost interest in King, turning back towards the human. Unfortunately for Luz, she was at a loss as to what to do now. “King, run! We’ll meet up later!” The demon scampered away.

Luz turned to do the same, but the monster was quicker than its size would indicate. Luz felt herself jerked back, lifted up by her hoodie. She squirmed futilely as Ophelia carried her back to her master. Although being captured was far from pleasant, Luz couldn’t help but think in the back of her mind that the beast was being careful not to injure her, even though it easily could do so.

Meanwhile, as Ophelia had sprinted away after Luz, Eda attempted to chase after them. She raised her staff to fire a spell at the creature. Sanguinus blocked her path, knocking her staff aside with his sword.

“Don’t worry about the child,” he said, raising his blade. “Ophelia will not harm her. She knows when to be gentle.”

“ _ I don’t _ ,” growled Eda, swinging her staff at Sanguinus with all the strength she could muster. He quickly raised his blade to deflect it, and swing his own weapon in turn. His sword collided with Eda’s staff, unable to cut through the wood. Eda pushed him away, and fell back to prepare a spell.

Once the circle was drawn, a pillar of pure earth shaped like Hooty sprang up underneath her opponent. Sanguinus was thrown upwards by the imitation, but quickly regained his composure. The stone owl face moved closer, opening its mouth to swallow him, but he cleaved it apart with one swing of his sword. He fell back to the ground, slicing through the pillar with his sword to slow his fall.

Upon reaching the ground, Sanguinus drew a spell circle and thrust his arm towards Eda. The same flock of birds from before flew at her from behind him. But before they collided with her, she created another portal, sending them harmlessly into the sky above them. Once the barrage had ended, she charged him.

Eda’s momentum sent both herself and Sanguinus crashing through what was left of the stone Hooty. Once they rolled to a stop, Eda leapt into the air before he could get his bearings. She wreathed her staff in flames, bringing it down on Sanguinus with enough force to cause a tree-shaking shockwave when he blocked it with his sword.

“Stay away...from me and...my kid,” Eda growled, pushing Sanguinus further down towards the ground. Both of his hands were pushing against her, but he was being forced down regardless.

“You know I can’t do that,” he said, struggling both to speak and to avoid being pushed down. “Like I said, I have my orders. Belos wants you back…”

“Then maybe I will come back!” Eda said. “I’ll come back to show him, Lilith, and your Inquisitor buddies what happens when you mess with my family!”

“Family? Is that what this is about?” he asked.

Then, she heard it. A distant sound, it almost seemed to blend into the background. But it was too distinct to do that. It was a sound, a song, that Eda had heard before. Just hearing it was almost enough to distract her, but the music had another effect. As the sounds echoed through the forest, Sanguinus grew stronger, pushing back harder against Eda. His body seemed to glow with a reddish aura as he rose, eventually shoving Eda a good distance away.

Eda had no time to ponder this, as there was a sudden flash of movement to her side. She only just had enough time to create a barrier as Briares, likewise sporting a scarlet aura, swung his giant hammer at her. The barrier shattered, and Eda was thrown into a clearing several feet away.

Briares stomped after her as she got up. Sanguinus wasn’t far behind, and Mandrake appeared as well. All three sported the red glow. “So, three against one, huh? I guess that makes things fair.”

“Oh, it’s more’n that, love,” said a voice. Eda turned to see Loxton, leaning up against a tree as he nonchalantly played his guitar. That was where the music was coming from, at least. “A lot more.”

“You again,” Eda said. “Didn’t get enough after the beating I gave you last night?”

Loxton scowled at her. “That wasn’t a fair fight. I thought at least seven or more blokes would even the odds a little. And guess what? I brought the whole pack!” He spread out his arms, indicating to the edges of the clearing.

Stygma appeared behind Briares, who rested his hammer on his shoulder. Mandrake summoned numerous vines at his feet, and Caelano landed from above. Sanguinus held out his blade, and Ophelia appeared beside him, still holding onto Luz. “Hey! Put me down!” she shouted, unable to reach her glyph pouch.

“Luz!” Eda said, turning to glare at Sanguinus “You better not have hurt her, or I swear I’ll--”

“You’ll what?” asked a darkly calm voice.

There was one last section of the clearing that hadn’t been covered, which was where this voice had come from. Eda recognized it immediately; she slowly turned to face him. “ _ You _ ,” she spat.

Mattias’ grin grew wide as he stepped out of the shadows. “Me,” he said. Shrike stepped forwards beside him, with Grace on his other side. All of the other Inquisitors seemed to go rigid at his presence. “Are you glad to see me again, Eda?”

“Yeah, you wish,” Eda scoffed. “You here to ask me out again?”

“Oh, I’m afraid that ship has sailed,” Mattias said with a laugh. “Now that Belos has recognized my true potential, I’ve been reunited with my true love. But if it’s any comfort, she enjoys playing hard to get.” Although he was still smiling, his eyes glared. “She gets that from you, I’m sure.”

The Inquisitors stepped closer, forming a tight circle around the Owl Lady. Luz, held tightly by Ophelia, reached for her glyphs, but couldn’t quite reach. Eda rotated around, surveying the competition. “So, Matt, I take it you’re just going to sit back and watch as your thugs do the dirty work, as usual?”

Mattias drew a pair of spell circles, twin abominations appearing beside him. “Far from it. This time, I’m here to finish this for good. And these men and women--” He gestured to the Inquisitors. “--are not ‘thugs.’ They are some of the finest warriors the Boiling Isles has to offer, each of us handpicked by Belos himself due to our skills, for the sole purpose of hunting you down. You are a strong witch, Eda, but you’re only a witch. This is it: no escape, no hope of victory, nobody to show up at the last minute and save you. A lone wild witch and her pet  _ ollryn _ against nine of the emperor’s finest. Even you can’t hope to win against those odds.”

Steeling herself, Eda prepared her staff. “Watch me.”


	10. Owl House Down

Chapter Ten: Owl House Down

______________________________________________________________________

Mattias threw his arm forward, sending the two abominations running at Eda. She swung her staff, and a wave of fire incinerated the creations. Before she could move her assault onto their creator, innumerable bramble vines shot in her direction. She vanished in a slash of light before they could reach her, reappearing behind Mandrake. She struck him with her staff and knocked him aside, vanishing again before Sanguinus could strike with his sword.

“Don’t let her confuse you! Go all out!” shouted Mattias. In a burst of violet flames, his staff appeared in his hand. Before rushing into the fray, he glanced over at Grace. “Go. Bind her.”

Letting out a chuckle, Grace disappeared into the forest. Eda, dodging sonic blasts from Loxton, was almost caught off-guard as Mattias appeared beside her, his staff clashing against hers. Their faces met, Eda’s snarl inches from Mattias’ sneer. A blast of flame came from Eda, blowing her opponent back. After skidding to a stop, Mattias spun his staff above his head, sending a flurry of magic projectiles towards Eda.

Caelano created more of her glass-like barriers as the missiles battered everything in the clearing. They missed Eda entirely, who launched herself into the air to avoid them. Caelano spread her wings and followed the Owl Lady, intercepting her in midair before she could fire any spells on the Inquisitors below. Eda shot a fireball in her direction, only for Caelano to dodge it in two directions; one was a duplicate. Caelano and her clone rounded Eda, firing bolts of magic at her, most of which she deflected, but a few of which hit their mark.

Still being held by the scruff of her neck like a kitten, Luz could only watch this battle take place. Ophelia held her in such a way that prevented her from reaching her glyph pouch, though not for lack of trying. “Come on, come on, just a little further!” Fortunately for her, the ongoing battle had drawn Ophelia’s attention, giving her ample time to reach out. Her fingers brushed against the slips of paper...and eventually closed around one.

Luz didn’t take the time to see which one it was, quickly slapping it against the side of the monster’s head. It turned out to be a fire glyph; Ophelia screeched and dropped the girl to the ground, where she quickly scrambled away from her former captor. Unfortunately, this meant she ran into another threat.

“Hello, little one.” Luz almost fell backward at the sudden, eerily calm voice of Shrike. He slowly stepped towards her, his cape of leaves rustling. “You seem to be in over your head, don’t you?”

Luz’s eyes narrowed when she recognized him from Amity’s description. “Shank!” she shouted, her hand going to her glyphs. “Stay away from Amity, you hear me!?”

“Oh?” Shrike cocked his head to the side. “Am I to believe that you and young miss Blight are acquaintances? Now, isn’t that interesting…”

“Shut up!” Luz threw a fire glyph towards him. Without even flinching, Shrike held up a hand. The ball of fire froze in midair, hovering between the two.

“You are a clever one, child, that much I will give you.” Shrike closed his hand, and the fire snuffed out. “Clever, but foolish, if you believe that you can stand up against Belos.”

Just then, two objects crashed into the ground. One was Caelano, hitting a tree hard enough to break it in half. The other was Eda, landing back in the clearing’s center. She stood firm as the Inquisitors ran in towards her, while Stygma rushed towards Caelano.

“Maybe, but I’m not gonna be the one taking on Belos,” Luz said. “She is.”

Shrike let out a small laugh. “You really think she has the courage to go up against him? You may be clever, but you truly know nothing about our world.” He twirled his staff around in one hand, a fireball appearing in the other. “Consider this a lesson.”

Luz was able to easily dodge the fireball Shrike hurled at her, but she was unprepared for him leaping up into the air, hurling his staff at her like a spear. With a yelp, she stumbled to the side as it buried itself into the earth just beside her. Like lightning, he instantly shot from above to the staff, grabbing her by the arm and hurling her aside.

Before she could get her bearings, or even land, Luz felt something grab her once again; bulky fingers wrapped around her waist, in addition to pinning her arms to her side. “What Inquisitor Shrike says is true, Luz the Human,” said Briares, bringing her up to arm level. “You and Edalyn Clawthorne are no match for Emperor Belos.”

“Lemme go!” Luz said, trying to squirm free of Briares’ grasp. “Me and Eda’ll take you on, just watch! We’ll beat all nine of you!”

“Even if you are able to defeat us all,” growled Briares, “do you believe Emperor Belos will be any more merciful than us?”

Just as Sanguinus leapt at her, Eda sent him flying with another shockwave. She scorched the vines Mandrake sent her way, and deflected one of Loxton’s sound blasts back at him. “What were you saying about these guys being ‘Belos’ finest warriors?’” she asked Mattias, smirking slightly.

Mattias looked as though he was about to lunge at her again, but managed to keep his composure. “They might surprise you,” he said, his smirk matching Eda’s. His gaze travelled to something behind her, tipping her off.

Eda dove to the side just as the tip of a glowing purple chain slammed into the ground where she just stood. Grace, previously unseen, leapt from a nearby tree branch, a pair of chains emanating from twin spell circles in each hand. She swung them at Eda like a flail, and she sprang into the air to avoid the attack. Eda followed up by sending a flurry of fireballs at the elderly Inquisitor.

Far more agile than her appearance would seem, Grace leapt from tree to tree to dodge the fireballs. She crawled along the tree trunks on all fours before vanishing once again, far faster than even a much younger witch could move naturally. It also seemed her lack of sight didn’t hinder her movement in any way. “Hold still, granny!” Eda said in annoyance.

Her onslaught was cut short when a vine wrapped around her ankle, yanking her out of the air and slamming her against the ground. She only just had time to roll aside as Mandrake, gauntlets made of bark wrapped around his arms, drove his fist into the earth. She got to her feet to face him.

Mandrake didn’t say anything, only growling as he ran towards her. Eda shot a fireball at him, which he battered aside, slamming his gauntlet into the side of her face. She was thrown aside, coming to a stop when her body hit a large tree. She brought up a hand to her bruised cheek, looking up to glare at Mandrake. “Oh, you’re really gonna wish you didn’t just do that!”

Eda rushed towards Mandrake, dodging past the vines that sprang up in her path. She brought her staff hard down on his head, following up with a strike to his chest that sent him flying. A vine shot up, grabbing Mandrake by the waist and pulling him back towards Eda. She ducked underneath his punch, sending a magically-charged strike into his back.

There was no time to rest, as Eda had to leap to the side once again to avoid Ophelia’s jaws from snapping shut around her. The beast stalked around her, waiting for an opportunity to strike again. She lunged, and Eda leapt backwards, using the tree behind her as a springboard to throw herself over Ophelia. She whirled around in midair to fire a spell at the monster, only for an ethereal chain to suddenly wrap around her wrist.

Eda landed, thankfully on her feet, as Grace tried to reel her in. She pulled against the chain as Ophelia readied herself for another pounce. She steadied herself, waiting for the right moment, and...right as Ophelia launched herself at her, she yanked hard on the chain. She pulled Grace from her perch, swinging her around herself like a flail before slamming the Inquisitor into the beast’s side. Both Ophelia and Grace tumbled to the side as Eda pulled the chain from her wrist.

“Oh, Eda!” called Mattias. Eda turned around to see him and Briares standing side to side, Luz held by the latter. “You’re doing wonderfully so far, just as powerful as you always were. But I’m afraid we’ll have to cut our little roughhousing session short. We wouldn’t want your little pet getting hurt, would we?” He held out a spell circle close to Luz’s cheek.

“Luz…!” Eda gasped. For a moment, it looked like she was about to drop her guard.

“Don’t listen to him, Eda!” shouted Luz, having stopped struggling. “Belos wants us alive, they said so!”

Mattias laughed. “Do you really believe that?” he said. “I mean, sure, he  _ said _ he does, but do you really think he cares about some  _ ollryn _ ? Eda, you and I both know you’re the one he really wants. Isn’t that right?”

It was only for a second, but Mattias let down his guard. He waved his arm dismissively when speaking of Luz, taking the spell circle away from her face just long enough for Eda to act. She unleashed a massive torrent of flames towards him, a sound like an owl’s cry echoing from the blast.

“High Inquisitor Mattias!” Mattias saw Eda’s attack coming before Mattias. He dropped Luz, throwing himself in front of his master. The flames washed over his back as he cried out in pain. Mattias, only just realizing he had almost been hit, retreated from the fire. Briares fell to his knees as Luz sprinted to Eda’s side.

“Are y--” Eda’s words were cut off as a blast of pure sound knocked her aside. Luz stumbled back as Loxton prepared to fire another. Eda threw a wave of earth in his direction, knocking him back.

Luz ran up to Eda just as Caelano swooped towards the pair. She leapt into the air, hurling a light glyph forward. The glare blinded her long enough for Eda to batter her aside with a blast of wind. Mandrake and Sanguinus then ran in their direction.

With Luz to her back, Eda held up her staff. Mandrake threw a punch, his wooden gauntlet cracked upon slamming into the staff, and Eda battered him away. Behind her, Luz threw a plant glyph to the ground, a tree sprouting up between her and Sanguinus. With a single swing of his blade, he easily cleaved through it, but was blasted away by Eda before he could grab Luz.

“Hey!” The two turned towards where Briares lay, and found Stygma flying in their direction. Behind her, Briares stood up and picked up his sword. Eda launched a blast of fire at her, but Stygma disappeared into the ground to evade it. She flew up underneath Eda, delivering a punch with both of her right arms. Eda fell back, and Stygma prepared to fire a blast at her.

Before she could, Luz threw an ice glyph towards her. A glacier rose up from the ground, freezing Stygma in place. Just as Luz rejoined Eda, though, Stygma shattered the ice into pieces. Each shard of ice hovered in the air for a moment, before Stygma sent them flying at the pair. Luz braced herself, and Eda conjured a massive pillar of flame. The icicles passed through the fire, washing harmlessly over the two as water.

Then they heard it: Loxton’s music rang through the clearing, accompanied by the heavy footsteps of a newly-healed Briares, enveloped in a red aura. He picked up his pace as he raised his hammer above his head. Luz threw ice glyphs to try and trip him up, but Loxton’s music strengthened him, letting him smash through the blockages.

Just as he brought the hammer down, Eda surrounded herself and Luz with a barrier. The hammer’s impact shook the entire clearing, and caused several cracks to spread through the top of the barrier, but it held. Both Eda and Briares pushed against each other’s power.

Briares noticed something, and fell back--Eda luckily kept the barrier up, as numerous magic missiles slammed against the shield. Eda staggered as more cracks appeared, the barrier beginning to come undone. Mattias stepped out of the forest as he sent more and more blasts towards them, grinning all the while. “I gave you every opportunity to come with us on your terms,” he said. “Now we do things the hard way.”

Mattias stopped his barrage. Luz, who had been unable to do anything other than watch, stood up. “Eda, are you--”

“Watch out!” Eda shoved her away just as Ophelia charged into the barrier, shattering it into pieces. Both Eda and Luz fell backwards from the impact. Luz quickly scrambled to her feet, throwing a fire glyph at the beast. Ophelia had grown wise, though, and ducked to the side before rushing at Luz. She slapped the human with her tail, sending her tumbling to the edge of the clearing.

“Ngh...Luz…” Eda shakily got to her feet, using her staff to prop herself up. Before she had time to go after the girl, she felt something slam into her, sending her flying. She skidded to a halt as Mattias prepared to lunge again.

“What’s wrong, Eda?” he asked. “Is the great Owl Lady getting tired?”

“You wish!” Drawing a spell circle with her staff, Eda sent a massive blast of fire at Mattias. Without even flinching, Mattias sent a fire blast of his own towards her, the purple flames piercing through Eda’s yellow ones and colliding with the witch. Eda was thrown back, colliding with a nearby tree.

“Eda!” Luz stood up, hurling an explosion glyph at Mattias. He turned just as it hit, being consumed in the blast.

However, more music began to play as the smoke cleared. Mattias, glowing crimson, was unharmed by the explosion. What little damage he had sustained was being repaired by Stygma, streams of blue energy travelling from spell circles in her hands to Mattias’ body. He smirked in the human’s direction, before turning his attention back to Eda.

Eda regained her bearings and ran towards Mattias, but something wrapped itself around her before she could get far. Grace, also glowing red, had sent several chains towards Eda, binding her arms and legs. She struggled to break free, but the chains only seemed to grow tighter as she did so. Unable to escape, she had Owlbert detach from her staff, the palisman flying up towards Grace.

Before he could reach Eda’s captor, Caelano swooped in, snatching the owl up in her talon. She landed on the ground near Luz, who ran at her to try and free him. “Hey! Let go of him!” However, Caelano simply aimed a spell circle at Luz, which turned into a bright flash of light.

Blinded, Luz staggered before falling to the ground. “Unpleasant, isn't it?” she could hear Caelano say. She tried to reach for a glyph, but realized it would be pointless if she couldn't see.

Eda’s magic was severely hindered now that she was separated from her palisman; her staff was little more than a stick now. In addition to the chains binding her, Mandrake had wrapped her in a layer of vines, while Stygma had encased her lower body in ice. Briares stood nearby, preparing to strike should she somehow escape. Loxton’s music empowered every single one of the Inquisitors, and Caelano still held Owlbert. Sanguinus watched Luz, preparing to make a move should she try to interfere. And Mattias stood before them all, looking rather pleased with himself.

“After all that bluster and bravado, the great Owl Lady finds herself incapacitated after all,” he said, smirking. “Now that continuing to fight is hopeless, do you think you’re finally ready to listen to reason?”

The thorns on the vines scratched at Eda’s hands as she tried to free them. “And what makes you think it’s hopeless?” she said. “You don’t think I have some sort of trick up my sleeve or something?”

Mattias chuckled. “You’re in no position for any tricks,” he said. “But, if you still insist on being difficult...Shrike? The potion.”

“Of course.” Shrike, stood beside Mattias despite having previously been unseen, reached into his coat and produced a vial of bright yellow elixir. He uncorked the bottle and approached the bound witch.

“Just a few sips, now,” Mattias said. “We wouldn’t want her to go full owl beast on us now, would we?”

Although her vision was still blurry, Luz was beginning to regain her sight. “No...Get away from her!” She ran forward, but something large blocked her path. Ophelia growled lightly, and Sanguinus approached the human.

“Don’t interfere,” he warned. He didn’t sound angry, but concerned. “It won’t end well for you.” Luz grasped at her side for a glyph, but Eda’s voice caught her attention.

“Luz?” Eda asked calmly. “You over there?”

“Y-yeah,” she said. “I’m here. Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” she replied. “It’ll take more than these guys to keep me down!” She chuckled humorlessly. “Luz, listen to me. In a moment here, I’m gonna need you to run, okay? Run as fast and as far as you can, and don’t stop until you lose them. Do you understand?”

“What?” Luz’s heart sank. “But w-what about you? Where will--”

“Don’t worry about me,” she said. “Like I said, these guys can’t hold me for long. But you need to run. I’ll come find you as soon as I can.”

“Enough of his!” said Mattias. “Shrike, give her the potion, now!”

“Eda!” Luz ran around Ophelia towards her mentor. As Shrike was reaching up to force-feed her the potion, her hands began to glow. Her body crackled with energy, and her bindings began to come undone. Shrike was distracted just long enough for Eda to look up at Luz.

Eda’s eyes glowed yellow. Ice melted, vines burned, and chains broke. “GO!”

Luz could feel the heat in the air. She stepped back, running into Sanguinus. She spun around, preparing for him to try and stop her. He considered her for a moment...before nodding in the direction of the forest.

She did as Eda said, and ran. As much as she would have liked to stay and help, she knew that would have been a bad idea. Her thoughts were confirmed as the space around Eda erupted into a pillar of pure energy. The trees, and Inquisitors, nearby were blown back. The force of the explosion even threw Luz, who was fairly far away by that point, into the distance. She didn’t stop to assess her wounds--she got to her feet and kept running, just as Eda said.

______________________________________________________________________

“So,” asked Gus, “anyone have any ideas?”

“Sort of,” said Amity. “I figure that I can use my connections with Miss Lilith to learn more about them, then we can--”

“Hold on, we should save the brainstorming for when Luz is around!” said Willow.

The three young witches walked through the woods towards the Owl House to meet with Luz, ready to discuss their plans to defeat the Inquisition. As they walked, something about the woods seemed off. All three of them felt it, but only Willow was able to put it into words.

“Do you hear that?” she asked.

“I don’t hear anything,” Gus said, shrugging.

“Exactly,” Willow said. “It’s usually a lot noisier around this part of the woods. But I can’t hear anything either.”

“Do you think that--” Amity started to say.

“Shh!” Gus quickly pulled the two of them into the nearby bushes--tried to, at least. Amity and Willow realized something was wrong, and hid beside him. They were almost at the Owl house by now, and the off feeling had gotten even worse.

“What’s the matter?” asked Amity.

“Voices,” Gus whispered. “Not Luz or Eda. Someone’s over there by the house.”

“What?” Amity said, confused. “Wait here, I’m going to go take a look.”

“Amity, wait!” Despite Willow’s insistence, Amity crept out from the trio’s hiding place and slowly made her way up to the Owl House. She began to hear the voices as well--she didn’t recognize any of them, nor could she make out what they were saying. She got closer to the point where she could see the house--and had to stifle a gasp.

In addition to the door being completely gone, a trio of figures stood guard outside the front. Two of them she didn’t recognize, but one was unmistakably Loxton. Inquisitors.

“So, find anything good in there?” asked one of them, a plant man, to someone inside the house.

“If you’re so impatient, maybe come in here and look for yourself,” said a woman’s voice.” The man went quiet.

Loxton chuckled. “She doesn’t care much for ya, does she?”

“Meh,” the man said. “Not for lack of trying.”

The third Inquisitor, an elderly woman, turned around. Although her mask had no eyeholes, it seemed as though she was looking directly at Amity. “And who might you be?” she asked.

Amity stifled another gasp, and retreated back into the bushes, her heart pounding. The other two turned around to look as well. “Eh? You see sommat, Grace?” asked Loxton.

“Just that girl,” Grace said conversationally.

“I’m sure you did,” the plant man said, rolling his eyes. “Trust me, that human’s not coming back here any time soon. We’ll need to comb the woods if we want to find her.”

Amity, as quickly and quietly as she could, made her way back to the others. Before either of them could ask her what had happened, she said “We have to get out of here, right now.”

“Huh?” said Gus. “What’s wrong?”

“The Inquisitors are here,” said Amity, urging the two of them out of the bushes and back down the path they had come. “They’re in the house, but I don’t think they have Luz yet.”

“What!?” said Willow, trying to keep her voice down. “Well, where is Luz, then?”

“I don’t know, I think she ran somewhere,” Amity said. “Maybe Eda too, b-but I really don’t know, I had to get out of there before they saw me!”

Willow glanced back at the Owl House as they retreated. “Luz…”

“We’ll find her,” Amity said. “I know it.”

“I wonder where she is now?” Gus pondered.

______________________________________________________________________

“Just...just gotta...keep going…” Luz muttered to herself, trudging through the bog.

Luz wasn’t sure how long she had been running. Given the stitch in her side, it felt like an hour, maybe two. She didn’t even know where she was--she didn’t recognize this part of the woods. Was this near where the Bat Queen lived? No, there hadn’t been a river near there. Wherever she was, she could only hope that the Inquisitors weren’t on her tail.

She knew it couldn’t be helped. If she had stayed to fight, they would have caught her too. Still, she couldn’t help but feel like such a coward for leaving Eda behind. Was she alright? Did she really get away, or did she only say that so Luz would escape?

Luz tripped over a rock in the stream, almost falling into the water. She kept herself upright just long enough to step out of the river and collapse next to a tree. Not only was she exhausted, but she was unsure of how badly she had been hurt in the fight. For a moment, she felt like she was going to pass out right there in the grass. The sleep would have been welcome, at least. She almost did, but a familiar voice kept her awake.

“Luz?”

Her groggy eyes looked up to an approaching figure with pink skin, auburn hair, and a small pair of horns. “T...Tia?” she said weakly.

“Is that you? Oh, Titan, what happened, you look terrible!” The girl dropped what she was carrying and ran over to her. “Luz, are you okay?”

“I’ve been worse,” Luz said. She tried to stand up, but found that her legs wouldn’t listen to her.

“O-okay, that seems like a yes,” Tia said worriedly. “Come on, let’s get you somewhere safe.” She slung Luz’s arm over her shoulder, lifting the girl up. “What happened?”

But Luz was too out of it to answer. She found herself drifting in and out of consciousness, unable to form coherent thoughts. All she could do was try to walk along as Tia carried her out of the forest.

What happened next was a blur. Luz had flashes of lucidity here and there, but they only appeared as pictures. Tia carrying her into town. The Nocturna residence. A few more figures rushing over to her. A kindly-looking man looking her over with concern. After that, she couldn’t remember anything else.

______________________________________________________________________

As the morning sun cast a beam across her face, Luz rolled over in her sleep to keep the light out of her eyes. She stirred in her sleep, eventually waking up. “Mmh?” she mumbled, realizing that she was in an unfamiliar room. It was fairly small, with a little staircase leading to a door across from her. It seemed to be a basement, but it looked cozy rather than dysmal. It wasn’t dusty, at least.

Although she wanted to get up, the blankets felt heavy on her weary form, and she rested her head back on the pillow.  _ How long have I been asleep? _ She wondered. Given how low the sun seemed, she would have guessed it was evening, but it seemed too bright for that. She must have slept all day yesterday and all through the night. That wasn’t a surprise, given how tired she had been.

After her long rest, she felt much better than she had the previous day. She reached up to scratch an itch on her shoulder, and found a bandage across her skin. She checked herself over, and found that several more bandages dotted her body. Tia or one of her family must have fixed her up. As rested as she felt, a few more hours of sleep would be welcome. She closed her eyes, lulled by a gentle tapping sound coming from the window.

Tapping sound? Luz slowly sat up. There, just outside the window, a tiny paper swan tapped against the glass with its beak. Recognizing the origami creation, Luz opened the window. The swan flew in, unfolding into a letter in her hands:

“Eda and Hooty are safe with me. The Inquisitors have Owlbert, and we don’t know where King is. She’s safe, but she says it’s too dangerous to come here, and to stay safe. K.M.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is there a better day than Valentine's Day for a chapter about family being separated and hope being lost? I certainly can't think of one.


	11. Getting Back Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eda and Luz both recover, and decide what to do next.

Chapter Eleven: Getting Back Up

______________________________________________________________________

Eda stumbled through the dark woods, Hooty’s door under her arm, her other hand holding her Owlbert-less staff. The Inquisitors had taken her palisman, and she had no idea where Luz and King had gone. She could only hope that each of them was safe for the moment. She wasn’t entirely sure if  _ she _ was safe yet.

That last spell had sent the Inquisitors for a loop, but it had taken a lot out of her. A handful of feathers had already sprouted from her wrists, and she could feel the telltale pinpricks of more preparing to sprout from her arms. She tried to push the cloudiness out of her mind as she staggered forwards, heading towards the one person she knew could help her right now. Hooty was asleep in his door, so he hopefully wouldn’t attract any Inquisitors to her location. She didn’t think she had been followed, but they might be stealthier than she knew.

She knew these woods like the back of her hand, even though her hands weren’t exactly her own right now. Still, she knew how to find her way around even the furthest reaches of these trees. It had been some time since she had been into these parts, but the memories of the dark woods came flooding back. With every step, she could feel the owl beast coming closer, struggling to take control. She only hoped she could make it there before it was too late.

At long last, the sight of a familiar cave came into view. She breathed a sigh of relief; she hadn’t been here in years, but she would recognize his place anywhere. Being so close to safety gave her an extra boost of energy, and she ran over to the entrance. She stopped, holding herself up against the stone. She called out to the one who was hopefully home: “Kade...Kade…” Her voice was hoarse and exhausted, but hopefully the cave’s acoustics would carry it to their resident.

Continuing on through the entry cavern, Eda could make out a shape, barely illuminated by glowing lichens, approaching. She felt a palpable sense of relief as the form of Kade Murkwater came into view. “Eda?” said the centipede demon. His expression was one both of confusion and worry. “What happened to you?”

“Got into a bit of a scrap,” Eda said, trying to stay jovial. “They kinda got the best of me…” She laughed weakly. “But don’t worry, I gave ‘em a few good hits, they had to work for it!”

“Well, are you okay?” asked Kade. “Wait, Hooty...Eda, where is everyone? What happened?” Unsure of what else to do, he reached out. “Eda…”

Eda handed him Hooty’s door. “Take him for me, will ya? I’ve had a real...a real time gettin’ here. I’m just gonna take a quick nap…”

Unable to stay awake any longer, she fell to the floor. Kade quickly placed Hooty’s door against the wall and grabbed her before she hit the ground. “Eda? Eda!? Eda, are you alright!? Eda!”

______________________________________________________________________

When she came to, the first thing Eda thought to herself was  _ Man, it is  _ not _ comfortable sleeping on rocks. How does Kade stand this? Oh, right...ceiling. _

She sat up, rubbing her eyes. The room was illuminated by glowing fungi, but there wasn’t much in it to see, aside from herself and Kade, who turned to face her once she woke up. He scuttled over to her in concern.

“Thank Titan!” he exclaimed. “For a moment there, I thought I’d have to smuggle you into a hospital! You’re lucky I had some of that cure potion left, otherwise I might’ve had to deal with your...er, worse half.”

Eda stretched. “Ah, quit whinin’, I’m alright.” She looked around the cave. “How long was I out for?”

“Only a few hours,” said Kade, sitting down beside her. “Which is more than I can say from your little friend over there.” He pointed to Hooty, who was still asleep in his door, snoring.

“Yeah, getting knocked out of his frame takes a lot out of him,” Eda said. “You’d be tired too if you were just…” She trailed off. “Guess I should start at the beginning, huh?”

Kade nodded. “That tends to be the best place to start, yes.”

Eda took a deep breath. “Okay… So, Belos and Lilith have been after me for a while, right?”

“Mmhmm,” Kade said.

“Well, I don’t know how much news you get out here in this literal hole in the wall, but the two of them apparently got impatient hunting me down the old fashioned way, and sent a bunch of thugs to do the job for them. Call themselves the Inquisition.”

“If they did  _ this _ to you, I think they’re more than just thugs,” said Kade. “How many were there?”

“Nine,” Eda said after a brief pause. “I didn’t recognize most of ‘em. One of them was Loxton. You remember him, right?”

“The rockstar?” said Kade, brow furrowed in confusion. “What’s he doing running with them?”

“No idea,” Eda continued, “but he’s definitely on board. Only other two I recognized were some hired sword who came after me a few years back--But you’ll never guess who’s leading the charge: Mattias Archoman.”

“No!” Kade exclaimed in disbelief. “That one thug from school!? Didn’t he kill somebody?”

“I’m pretty sure he killed a few people, but that’s beside the point,” Eda said. “Somehow, Mattias and his band of brutes found the Owl House. They ambushed us. I did everything I could to fight ‘em off, but even with Luz and Hooty helping, they got the better of me. I was only barely able to escape.” She looked down sadly at her staff. “I told Luz to run as far as she could, so hopefully she’s okay. They got Owlbert, though. And I have no idea what happened to King…”

Kade had never seen Eda like this. Usually, she at least tried to mask her sadness behind a mask of snark, but no such thing was there now. “I-I’m so sorry,” he said, reaching up to put a hand on her shoulder; he decided against it at the last moment. “Do you have any idea where they could have gone?”

“King, it’s hard to say,” Eda replied. “Hopefully he didn’t go back to the Owl House, I’ll bet they’re still there. As for Luz, I’m willing to bet she went to a friend’s house.”

“Should...should we go looking for them?” said Kade. “Even discounting these Inquisitors of yours, this forest isn’t exactly safe. I mean, just in this area alone, you’ve got hellhounds, venom ivy, the Bat Queen lives barely a mile away, mad dryads…”

“The Bat Queen…” Eda said, the realization dawning on her. “Kade, my man, I think you’ve just given me an idea!”

“Eh?” Kade looked at her curiously. “What’s she got to do with this?”

Eda got to her feet, and Kade did the same. “Nothing yet, but she might be able to help us,” she said. “She owes me a favor.” She held up her staff. “I don’t stand much of a chance against them without Owbert, and I have serious doubts about your combat ability--no offense.”

“‘S all good.”

“But if she’s on our side, we might just stand a chance. We can free Owlbert, reunite with Luz, find King, and…” Eda trailed off. Her gaze lowered to the floor as she seemingly got lost in thought.

“Do what?” asked Kade. “Is everything okay?”

“I don’t know,” Eda said, leaning against the cave wall. “Once we’re all back together, do we just keep running? Even if Luz’s plan works, and we can beat the Inquisitors, what then? Belos won’t just let us go free. I can’t fight him. And I can’t fight my sister--not really fight her. I mean,  _ I _ could survive on the lam, but is that really any life for a kid? What’s Luz gonna do? Ugh!” She slumped back down to the floor. “You see,  _ this _ is exactly why I didn’t want to be a mother!”

“Hey, it...it isn’t  _ that _ bad,” Kade said, trying to comfort her. “Luz is a tough girl, isn’t she?”

“Oh, it isn’t, is it?” Eda snapped. “Do you have any idea what it’s like to live like this, being constantly hunted down? Normally, it’s thrilling! But now that I have a kid to worry about, I can’t keep living my life on the edge like this!” She sighed. “Okay. We’ll play it by ear. Make it up as we go, like Luz always does.”

“Is that really the best idea, considering the circumstances?” asked Kade.

“No,” Eda admitted. “But, considering the circumstances, it’s also our  _ only _ idea. We go to the Bat Queen for help, and see where that takes us.”

“And Luz?” said Kade. “Should one of us head into town to look for her?”

Eda shook her head. “As much as I want to, it’s too risky. The place is probably crawling with covensman by now. Although...do you think you could send her a message? Let her know we’re alright, and not to come looking for us?”

“That I can!” Kade drew a spell circle, summoning a sheet of paper and a long quill. “Anything specific?”

“Just what’s happening,” Eda replied. “Oh, but don’t tell her about our plan with the Bat Queen yet. It might give her ideas…”

The quill scratched across the paper, leaving its ink lines. “Alright… There! That should do it. Whaddya think?”

Eda glanced over his shoulder, scanning the letter. “Should do the trick. Now send it off so we can get going!”

Kade drew another spell circle, and the letter began to fold itself into a shape. Finally, the completed origami swan flapped its wings and took off, soaring towards Bonesborough. “It should be able to track her down,” he said. “They’re very good at recognizing faces. Staying out of sight, too.”

“Good,” Eda said. “Now, have you ever been to the Bat Queen’s lair?”

“What? Of course not!” said Kade. “Have you?”

“Once or twice,” Eda answered. “Now, let’s move. No time to waste!”

______________________________________________________________________

Luz wished she could breathe a sigh of relief upon reading the letter, but she couldn’t. Eda and Hooty were both safe with Kade, but Owlbert had been captured, and King was missing. She did sigh, but it was mostly with disappointment--not only had she been unable to fight the Inquisitors, but her carelessness had gotten Eda captured--again! She slumped back down onto the bed, considering going back to sleep.

The door creaked open, and a familiar face peered in. Luz looked up, sitting back up when she saw who it was. “Bartleby!” she said. “What are you doing here?”

Bartleby Nocturna, the kindly-looking man from earlier, cracked a small smile as he made his way down the stairs. “Well, it is my house, isn’t it? How are you holding up?”

Despite the answer being quite the opposite, Luz told him “I’m fine.” She sat up, leaning to the side to show her bandages. “I take it you fixed me up?”

“Sure did!” Bartleby pulled up a stool next to her bed and sat down. “Luckily, you weren’t hurt too bad, just banged up a little. I did my best to patch you up, but I’m a vet, not a doctor.” He looked at the floor. “And that doesn’t include treatment of humans, despite what some people here would like to think…”

“Oh, trust me, I’m very familiar with those sorts of people…” Luz muttered, the image of Mattias from his manor still burned into her mind. “But I wasn’t seriously hurt, then?”

“No, Titan bless,” Bartleby said. “If I could ask, though...what were you doing out in the woods, hurt like that? Does Eda know you were out there?”

“Eda…” Luz shifted in her spot, taking a moment before telling Bartleby what had happened. “Do you remember when those guys from the Emperor’s Coven came into town? They’re called the Inquisitorius Magicus.”

Bartleby thought for a moment. “The name sounds familiar,” he said. “Can’t say I know much about them, though.’

Luz looked down. “They...they attacked us,” she said. “We got away--at least, I think. I know I did, and Eda made it to a friend’s, but King’s still out there somewhere. And they got Eda’s palisman.”

For a moment, neither of them said anything. Eventually, Bartleby spoke: “Wow. I-I had no idea this was so serious. Do you need anything, Luz? I can get you something if you--”

“No, I’m alright,” she said. She slowly got to her feet, Bartleby prepared to catch her if she stumbled. She stood up with little issue. “Actually, I am a bit thirsty. Could I have something to drink?”

Bartleby stood up. “Why, sure! Just say the word, and I’ll go and grab it for ya!”

“No, don’t worry about it,” Luz said, walking towards the door. “I can get it myself. Actually, I really need to stretch my legs anyway.”

Luz walked up the steps and out of the basement door. Bartleby followed behind. The house looked familiar, despite her only having visited it once before. Stepping into the living room, she saw Tia, sitting on the couch with a worried expression, Bitey the ettercap resting on her lap. She looked up, and lit up once she saw the human was alright. “Luz!” she said, leaping to her feet. Bitey lay back down indignantly. “Hey, Mel, Luz is okay!”

A slightly older girl, looking a lot like Tia save for her white skin, entered the room. “You sound surprised,” she said, grinning slightly. “I knew dad was on the case.”

“So, what happened to you, anyway?” Tia said, making her way over to Luz. “I almost had a heart attack when I saw you stumbling through the forest like that!”

“Easy, easy, give her some space!” Bartleby chuckled, shooing his daughter away from Luz. “She’s had a rough day. Right, Luz?”

“It’s fine, Bart,” she said. “But...yeah, I guess I did have a rough day. I was… No, Eda and I were attacked.”

“Attacked!?” said Tia. “By what!?”

“Not what, who,” Luz said. “We were ambushed by the Inquisitors. They found the Owl House, and they tried to capture us. We got away, but they got her palisman. And King could be anywhere…”

“I...I-I’m so sorry,” said Tia, reaching up to place a comforting hand on Luz’s shoulder, but deciding against it. “Can I do anything to help?”

“Nah, I couldn’t ask you to do that,” Luz said. “I don’t want to put anyone else in danger.”

“Danger or not, you’re more than welcome to stay here as long as you need,” said Bartleby. “Consider this household your safe haven!”

“Thanks, all of you,” Luz said. It really meant a lot that that these people she didn’t even know too well were letting her stay with them. “I could use some time to sort things out.”

______________________________________________________________________

Mattias strolled into Belos’ throne room, carrying himself with just as much dignity and ego as he had when he was first brought there as a prisoner. Briares entered behind him, holding something in his hand. “Your majesty,” Mattias said, bowing slightly.

Belos sat on his throne, regarding the pair. Lilith stood by his side, glaring at them with disdain. “So, you have returned,” said the emperor, sounding disinterested. “I take it you were unsuccessful in capturing Eda?”

“Unfortunately so, my emperor,” Mattias said. “My forces were so close to apprehending her, but she slipped from our grasp at the very last moment. Her current whereabouts are unknown, but I assure you, they are searching for her as we speak.”

“And the child?” Lilith asked before Belos could speak. “Did she evade capture as well?”

“Indeed,” Mattias said, his pleasant facade faltering momentarily. “The human escaped from us as well. But we--”

“High Inquisitor, I appointed you as such because I believed you were capable of doing what Lilith was not,” Belos said. “However, it seems that my judgement was incorrect. Given your lack of success thus far, I am beginning to doubt that forming the Inquisitorius Magicus was worth the trouble.”

“My emperor, please, allow me to continue!” said Mattias. “We may not have captured either, but we have taken the Owl Lady’s hideout! We will be ready should she make the mistake of returning. In addition...Briares, show the emperor what else we have accomplished.”

Briares grunted, stepping forwards. He held up the object in his hand, pulling off a sheet of cloth to reveal a birdcage. Within was a small owl, who hooted indignantly upon seeing where he was.

“T-that’s…” Lilith said, surprised.

Belos leaned forward, observing Owlbert. “A palisman,” he said. “And you’re certain it’s hers?”

“More than certain, Emperor Belos,” said Briares. “This palisman is the very same one Edalyn Clawthorne used against us. Inquisitor Caelano captured it before it could return to her.”

“Without it, Eda is far less powerful,” Mattias said. “If she doesn’t come crawling to join us soon, we will have a far easier time bringing her here ourselves, I assure you.”

“You should hope so,” Belos said.

“Now then...what should be done about this pest?” Mattias asked, knocking on the side of Owlbert’s cage, earning some more indignant hoots.

“Eda will have no further use for it,” Belos said, holding out a hand. “Bring it to me.”

Briares began to walk forward, but Lilith stepped between the two. “Wait,” she said. “There is still a chance that Edalyn will try and rescue her palisman. We shouldn’t waste this opportunity just for a brief boost in magic.” She shot Belos a look.

“Oh, very well,” Belos said, annoyed. “Take it somewhere secure. Make sure there is no chance of it escaping, but make sure it stays alive. A dead palisman is no good to either of us.”

“Yes, my emperor,” said Mattias, bowing. “Come along, Briares. We have many preparations to take care of.” With that, the two Inquisitors stepped out of the room, leaving Belos and Lilith alone.

Lilith glared at him. “Were you actually considering consuming Edalyn’s palisman?”

“Of course I was,” Belos answered, as though it were obvious. “By limiting her powers, she will be that much easier to retrieve. And besides, I felt in need of a little boost.” He struggled to stand. “Speaking of which…”

Lilith hurried over, helping the emperor to his feet. He let out a sharp breath once he was standing, lifting a hand to massage his chest.

“You allowed me to keep my palisman,” Lilith said. “And as someone who knows what the bond between witch and palisman is like, it isn’t worth jeopardizing over such a trivial matter.”

“I resent your words,” Belos growled. “My condition is far from trivial.”

“And Edalyn’s isn’t?” replied Lilith.

“Of course it is,” Belos said, meeting Lilith’s eyes. “But then, you would know that best, wouldn’t you?”

“That’s not…” Lilith trailed off, averting her gaze. “They aren’t the same thing.”

“Belos let out a gravelly, humorless laugh. “Edalyn had her chance. You repeatedly asked and begged your sister to join us. But she refused, even knowing I could cure her. If she will not come to us willingly, we will have to drag her here by force.” He made his way towards a door at the back of the throne room. “Perhaps you should consider trying to find her as well.”

Lilith stared at Belos as he walked away. “Perhaps I will,” she said quietly.

Belos made his way out of the room, and slowly walked through a long hallway. The hall opened into a large room containing a chair connected to a large device that reached to the ceiling. He sat down in the chair, and a pair of covensmen attached a set of tubes to his arms and chest. Glowing green liquid began to flow from the machine and into his body. He let out a contented sigh.

Another covensman approached, carrying a crystal ball. He held it up to Belos as the image of Shrike appeared. “Good afternoon, Belos,” said the Inquisitor. “I take it Mattias has already given you the news?”

“Indeed he has,” Belos said. “How goes progress on the potion?”

“It is nearly finished,” Shrike responded. “I only need to obtain more terrorwort. I will be setting out to the Lost Marshlands soon with a group of Inquisitors to retrieve some.”

“Excellent,” Belos said. “Inform me as soon as the potion is completed. The Day of Unity grows near.”

“I will,” Shrike responded. “Be well soon.” His image disappeared from the orb, and the covensman took it away.

Belos leaned back into the chair, closing his eyes as the machine pumped the fluid into his body. He clenched and unclenched his fists, feeling the energy surging through him.

“Soon...our worries will all be over…”


	12. Getting Backup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luz and Eda both seek help as the Inquisition continues hunting for them.

Chapter Twelve: Getting Backup

______________________________________________________________________

If the Lost Marshlands in the central Isles were known for anything, it was their inhospitable nature--for witches, at least. A great deal of strange plantlife and vicious demons made these lands their home, making it a rather grim destination, even by the standards of the rest of the Boiling Isles. Very few souls would ever willingly enter these swamps...such as a select few Inquisitors.

Shrike trudged through the murky, shin-deep water, pointing his staff out in front of him. He walked slowly and methodically, as though being led by an invisible force. Behind him, Sanguinus crept through the water, and Stygma hovered just above it. The former’s hand twitched, preparing to grab onto his sword, while the latter examined their surroundings with disgust.

“Is there any chance of us heading home anytime soon?” asked Stygma, glaring at a moss-covered tree. “This place is revolting.”

“I would have expected that you two, of all demons, would be able to appreciate our surroundings,” Shrike said, still inching forward.

Stygma scoffed. “I don’t know whether that says more about how you see us, or how terrible you are at judging what people like.”

“Regardless, the others were busy,” said Sanguinus. “Though I would agree that we shouldn’t stay here any longer than necessary. The kappa tend to get very territorial this time of year.”

“Unfortunately for you, dowsing is not an exact science,” Shrike said indignantly. “It is an ancient art that allows its user to commune with the very world around them, to sense the location of specific objects.”

“I  _ know _ what dowsing is,” said Shrike, hand placed over her face. “I didn’t not graduate school just to listen to more rambling lessons!”

“Er, in the essence of time,” Sanguinus interrupted, “how close are you to locating the terrorwort?”

Holding his staff higher, Shrike stood still for a moment. “I’m detecting a patch...right over...there.” He changed course slightly to the right, as his guardians followed.

“Just why exactly was it necessary for us to come with you?” Shrike asked.

“As Inquisitor Sanguinus has made abundantly clear, the Lost Marshlands are rife with danger,” said Shrike. “I could not very well venture out here alone without anyone to protect me from the many monsters that call this place their home.” He tilted his head slightly as he noticed a disturbance in the water to their left. “...for example...”

In a gigantic explosion of water, a massive scaly creature burst up from beneath the surface. Shrike didn’t so much as flinch as it soared towards him, its beak filled with sharp teeth. He only regarded it quizzically as, moments before it could dig its fangs into him, the monster was intercepted by another. Sanguinus had thrust out his hand, and Ophelia had lunged and battered the kappa aside.

Ophelia and the angry kappa continued to grapple, thrashing around in the water. Sanguinus ran over to join them, and Stygma darted beside the pair. As the battle of the two titanic beasts raged, Shrike paid it no mind, strolling through the churning waves towards the location of his treasured potion ingredient.

Humming a quiet tune to himself, Shrike crouched next to the base of a rotting tree, where a clump of terrorwort grew. He leaned his staff against the side of the tree, and produced a pair of clippers to remove a few bulbs. Ophelia continued battling her foe mere feet behind him as he placed the clippings in a small pouch. “Could you perhaps be a little quieter in protecting me?” he asked. “All the noise is making it hard to focus.”

In a burst of motion, the kappa slammed its fist against Stygma, sending her flying into a tree. “You’re not the one dealing with this thing right now!” she shouted back.

The kappa, having momentarily gained the upper hand, lifted Ophelia over its head, and hurled her a short distance away. It raised its fists over its head, preparing to slam them down on her. “No!” Sanguinus lunged forward, sending a lightning spell into the water. Electricity surged through the Kappa’s body, causing it to stumble back and bound away.

“Yeah, and don’t come back!” Stygma yelled after the retreating beast. Sanguinus had hurried to Ophelia’s side to make sure she wasn’t injured. Shrike returned, pouch and staff in hand. “Some help you were!”

Shrike shot her a look--or at least seemed to. “I got what we came here for,” he said, holding up the pouch. “You were so anxious to leave, and now we may.”

The relative silence was broken as a twig snapped. Sanguinus re-drew his sword, Stygma prepared a spell circle, and Shrike pointed his staff at where the sound seemed to have come from. With the echo, though, it was hard to tell exactly where it had been.

“Was that our big green friend again?” asked Stygma.

“Not likely,” Sanguinus answered. “Kappas are rarely this stealthy. If he was back for more, we’d know.” Ophelia growled softly.

A booming voice reverberated throughout the swamp. “Intruders! How dare you trespass on my domain!?” The voice seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. “Leave now, or face my wrath!”

Unlike his companions, Shrike wasn’t the least bit intimidated. “Show yourself!” he demanded. “If this truly is your domain, come out and make us leave in person!”

Thunderous laughter. “I would not dare sully my glorious appearance with your shameful, mortal eyes! Begone from this place at once, servants of the emperor, or suffer the endless fury of the King of Demons!”

“King of…?” Suddenly, Shrike realized he had heard that voice before. He scanned the area, until he located what he believed to be the source of the noise. With alarming speed, he darted over to an old, dead tree. Behind it sat none other than King, whose voice was magnified by the hollow trunk.

King clearly wasn’t expecting his ruse to be found out so quickly. “Um...fear me?” he said quietly.

“Hello, king of acoustics,” Shrike said. “You’re awfully far from home, aren’t you?” He reached out a hand to grab the small demon. “Belos will be awfully glad to have another guest…”

“Hey! Stay back!” said King, backing against the hollow tree. “Don’t make me summon my demonic army!”

Stygma chuckled. “And what sort of army would a munchkin like you be able to--”

Sure enough, just then, the kappa from earlier decided that it was indeed back for more. It let out a bellow as it barreled through the water towards the group. Before anyone could react, it battered Sanguinus away before it was set upon once more by Ophelia. This time, it knew enough to block her before she could sink her teeth in.

“Uh...there, see!” King said, recovering from the shock. “Destroy them, my trusty lieutenant!” he shouted to the kappa, who clearly didn’t notice him. “I will make my escape now!” He then scampered away, climbing up a nearby tree to watch the battle from a safe distance.

Shrike had watched the entire scene with an aura of disinterest. “Very well, nevermind his majesty. We have the terrorwort anyways. Sanguinus, Stygma, take care of this beast so we may head home.”

“What does it look like we’re  _ trying _ to do!?” shouted Sanguinus. He aimed a lightning spell again, but the kappa was wise enough to keep Ophelia close enough that he would risk hitting her. Stygma sent her healing energy into Ophelia, hovering a safe distance away from the skirmish.

“Nevermind then,” Shrike said. “Meet me back at the castle once you are finished here.” He began to walk away, leaving the two behind. However, the monsters’ fight soon reached him; the kappa threw Ophelia in his direction, and although he stepped aside to avoid her, the impact caused two leaves to come off of his cloak, floating into the water.

Shrike glanced down at the spot on his cloak where the two leaves had been. His eyes, previously hollow, began to glow with a flickering orange light, resembling fire. He turned around as the kappa charged at him. “You ruined. My favorite. Cloak,” he hissed.

Just before the kappa could pound him into the ground, Shrike thrust out his arm. A massive stream of fire shot out from his palm, hurling the kappa back and slamming it against a tree; the same tree King was now hiding in the branches of. With a yelp, he lost his grip from the impact and fell into the water below.

The kappa shook its head, dazed, but prepared to charge again. But when it got to its feet, it hesitated a moment, before its legs grew wobbly. The beast’s eyelids drooped, and it fell back to the ground, unable to support its own weight anymore. Stygma hovered behind it, healing energies traveling from within the beast and into her spell circles, rather than the other way around. “What’s the matter? Feeling a bit fatigued?” she asked.

Shrike walked over, barely paying the kappa any mind. He instead picked up a struggling King by the scruff of his neck. “Put me down! You can’t treat the King of Demons like this!” he shouted.

“Let us head back now,” Shrike said. “We got what we came for...and then some. Belos will be pleased to see we’ve captured a friend of Eda’s.”

______________________________________________________________________

Eda confidently strolled through the woods, Kade crawling behind her. They both held onto their staffs, even though Eda’s was without a palisman. “So, you know the Bat Queen then, right?” Kade asked.

“Oh yeah, we go way back,” Eda replied. “I babysat her kids a while ago, so we’ve got that goin’ for us.”

Kade looked warily at their surroundings. “You’ll forgive me if I’m not exactly confident…”

It was unmistakable what part of the forest belonged to the Bat Queen: the ground was littered with bones. The remains of hundreds of small animals crunched beneath their feet as they walked into the entrance of her lair.

“Eugh… Her reputation definitely precedes her,” Kade said.

“And here I thought you’d be right at home at a place like this,” Eda said, glancing back at him.

“Normally I would be, but it’s someone else’s home, that’s the problem,” said Kade. “I’m just concerned with not adding to the flooring. Well, I don’t have an internal skeleton, but you know what I mean.”

“Ah, quit worryin’!” Eda said. “Bat Queen won’t eat one of my friends, I can tell you that much.”

The entrance opened out into a large open space where more trees grew. If one looked closely, one could see the movement of many tiny creatures in the trees’ branches. But Eda and Kade were more focused on what was perched on a large branch right in front of them.

“Who has entered the lair of the Bat Queen?” asked a booming voice, coming from the shadowed shape before them.

“Hey, Batsy! Just me,” Eda said. “Thought I’d pop in to see an old friend.”

“Oh. Eda. I couldn’t see it was you.” The Bat Queen spread her wings to reveal her full form. A demonic woman’s face with wings and legs did not sound particularly frightening, but every witch and demon who had heard of her knew she was a force to be reckoned with. “What brings you out to the woods today?”

Eda rubbed the back of her head. “Well, I did say I just wanted to see ya, but to tell the truth, I kinda need your help.”

“Well, help I might provide.” The Bat Queen flew down from her perch, landing before them. Kade spotted a trio of smaller creatures that looked like her behind where she had been perching. “And who is your friend?”

“...Hmm? Oh--Kade Murkwater. I’m an old acquaintance of Eda’s. She’s crashing with me while...well, I’ll let her explain.”

“Thanks, K,” Eda said. “So...remember how you owed me that favor?”

“I think you are remembering wrong,” said the Bat Queen. “You owed  _ me _ the favor. I cashed it in by having you look after my little one.”

Kade gave Eda a look, who laughed awkwardly. “Was that how it happened?” she said. “‘Cause I kinda remember differently…”

The Bat Queen eyed her quizzically. “Why don’t you tell me that is your problem?” she suggested. “Then I will decide if I can help you.”

Kade leaned in closer to Eda. “You’re telling me she  _ doesn’t _ owe you a favor?” he whispered.

“Yeah, but like I said, she’s an old friend,” Eda replied. “She’ll help us.” She approached the Bat Queen. “I’ll cut to the chase: I have some dangerous people hunting after me. Now, normally, that wouldn’t be too out of the ordinary, but these are some really nasty characters. They call themselves the ‘Inquisitorius Magicus,’ or something pretentious like that. They stormed the Owl House, almost got us. They almost captured me, but I got away by the skin of my teeth. Thing is, now we’re scattered. Luz, King, Owlbert--I don’t know where any of them are.”

The Bat Queen nodded. “I see. And you need me to lay down the hurting on them, is that it?”

“You’re too kind, but I can handle that part myself,” said Eda. “The thing is, I’m at a bit of a handicap at the moment.” She held up her bare staff. “They took Owlbert. I’m not powerful enough to fight them without him, and if I can’t fight, I can’t find Luz or look for King. I need your help to get him back.”

The Bat Queen took a moment to examine the peg where Owlbert usually sat. “I am familiar with the one called Owlbert,” she said. “He came to me, not long ago. Then the one called Luz came to rescue him. They share a connection, those two.”

“I knew something was up with them…” Eda muttered. “So does that mean you’ll help us?”

“I will do what I can,” she said. “Now, where are they right now?”

“I don’t really know where Luz is,” Eda said, “but I’m pretty sure Owlbert’s being held at the Emperor’s Palace.”

A brief look of hesitant remembrance flashed across the Bat Queen’s face. “The Emperor...why would he be there?”

“That’s where the Inquisitors hang out when they’re not hounding me,” Eda said. “Oh, the Inquisitors work for Belos. Forgot to mention that part.”

The Bat Queen looked away. “Eda, I wish very much that I could help you,” she said. “There is no greater sorrow to me than a palisman that has been separated from its master. But the domain of Emperor Belos is the one place on this island I cannot go.”

“What? Why?” Eda raised an eyebrow. “You scared of him, or something?”

“All should fear Emperor Belos,” the Bat Queen replied. “I wish you luck on your quest, but I cannot go back to that place.”

“‘Back?’” said Kade.

“Long story,” replied Eda. “So, that’s it? You’re just gonna send us off with nothing? Even after all that?”

“I am sorry, Eda,” she answered. “There is too much at stake. If I am captured or killed, who will look after my children? After all of these abandoned palismans? I have a responsibility that I cannot abandon.”

“Hey, look, you owe me!” Eda said. “I only agreed to look after one demon baby, not three! If anything, you owe me two favors!”

“You can argue all you want, but I am certain.” The Bat Queen flew back up to her perch. “I will help you in any way I can, but returning to the Emperor’s Palace is out of the question.”

Kade glanced behind the Bat Queen, and spoke up. “Excuse me, Mrs. Bat Queen? Sorry to interrupt, but I couldn’t help but notice that you have some children of your own.”

“Yes. They are my little ones.” The three children nuzzled up against their mother. “I would do anything to protect them.”

“Well, Eda and Luz, they’ve got something similar going,” Kade said. “Eda’s kind of like Luz’s mother, and she’d do anything to protect her, too. So if you help us out, you’d be helping a fellow mother.”

“That’s right!” Eda said. “Luz is  _ my _ little one! Look, I can’t ask you to go back to that place, but...is there anything we could do to convince you to help us? One mother to another?”

The Bat Queen thought for a moment. “Well...back when she came here with Owlbert, Luz made a promise to me. She promised to help me find out who my owner was. For so long, I have searched, but found nothing. If you help me to find out who I belonged to, I will help you find your little one.”

Eda sighed in relief, before turning to Kade. “See? I told ya this would all work out!”

“You told me she owed you a favor,” Kade said, unimpressed.

Ignoring him, Eda turned back to the Bat Queen. “So, you know more than I do at this point. Where do we start the search?”

“On my last search, I found ruins fit for a giant,” she said. “It is a long fly, so it will be dark before we arrive. We will leave first thing in the morning. Besides…” She turned to her brood. “I need to find someone to watch my children.”

“I could do that!” said Kade. “I’ll keep them out of trouble while you two go searching.”

“You sure?” said Eda. “You’re not coming with us?”

“Hey, I’m the one who always wanted kids,” Kade said with a shrug. “Although...I think you should hold onto this.”

Kade handed Eda his staff. The carved wooden centipede on the tip stared up at her curiously with its big eyes. “You’re giving me your staff? Why?”

“You can’t exactly fly without Owlbert. I figured this’d be more comfortable than riding on the Bat Queen’s back.”

“Kade, you--”

“Take it. Mr. Crawly knows you, he’ll listen to you. Besides, it’s not like I need a staff to watch over some kids, right?”

Eda took the staff. “You’d be surprised,” she said. “They’re a bit of a handful.”

“So were you.” Kade winked, walking over to the Bat Queen and her children. Eda looked down at Mr. Crawly, who looked up at her.

“Don’t worry, Owlbert. Mama’s comin’ for ya.”

______________________________________________________________________

“So, you need anything else?” asked Tia. “Something to eat? Something to drink? Should I turn on the crystal ball?”

“Hmm?” Luz looked up from her seat on the couch, having previously been spacing out. “No, I’m alright, thanks. I’m just trying to think of what to do now.”

“Well, you just do what you feel like for now,” Tia said. “Just holler if you change your mind!”

“I will,” Luz replied. “Actually, did you let the others know I’m here?”

“Sent out a message not too long ago,” said Tia. “They should be here before too long.” At that very moment, in fact, there was a knock at the door. “Oh! How’s that for timing?”

Tia’s mother walked over to the door to let in their guests. “Hello--AAUGH! ...I mean, hello Mrs. Nocturna!” Luz recognized Gus’ voice. “Is Luz here?”

Aargaret Nocturna said something in her chattering language, gesturing towards Luz with one of her forelimbs. Gus, Willow, and Amity rushed inside, particularly the latter. “Luz!” she shouted. “You’re okay!”

“Sure am!” she said. “Thankfully Tia found me when she did, or I--Woah!” Luz was almost squashed beneath the weight of all three of her friends as they hugged her in tandem. “I’m glad you’re here,” she squeaked out.

“When we showed up at your place yesterday, it was swarming with Inquisitors!” said Willow. “We didn’t know what had happened--we thought they might have captured you!”

“They...almost did,” Luz said. Her cheery demeanor faded away as she remembered the events of the previous day. “Eda and I had to split up just to escape. She’s safe, but…”

“But?” Amity said.

“Look at this.” Luz held up the note Kade had sent her. “I got this this morning. Eda and Hooty are safe with a friend of hers, but they took her palisman. And King...neither of us know where he is.”

Amity scanned the note. “But at least Hooty’s safe,” she said, with a hint of bitterness.

“I just...I can’t shake the feeling that this is my fault,” said Luz. “Maybe if we hadn’t gone after Loxton like we did, none of this would’ve happened…”

“Luz, don’t think like that,” said Willow. “You couldn’t have known what would happen.”

“But I did, that’s the thing!” Luz said. “It’s just like what happened with Mattias! I think I can handle things, so I rush in without thinking! And because I’m so careless all the time, people get hurt.”

Willow was about to say something, but Amity stepped forward, grabbing Luz by the shoulders. “Luz, listen to me,” she said firmly. “You are not responsible for the Inquisitors, and what they do. That’s on them, not on you. Just because you tried to stop them doesn’t make any of this your fault. Okay?”

“O-okay…” Luz said, caught unawares by Amity’s demeanor. “B-but even if I’m not, they still got Owlbert, and King’s missing. What do we do now?”

“I don’t know,” Gus said. “But it’s a good thing we’ve got plenty of time to think of something!”

“Huh? What do you mean?” asked Luz.

“Don’t you remember?” said Gus. “Today’s St. Bludworth’s Day--we get the whole week off from school!”

“Oh yeah!” said Luz. “At least I won’t have to worry about missing school, huh?”

“That would’ve been the least of your worries,” said Willow.

“Hey all!” Tia walked into the room, carrying a tray full of glasses. “I brought some lemonade! Sorry to interrupt, but I thought I’d bring you something.”

“Oh, no need to be sorry. You’re my friend, too,” said Luz. “Besides, I’m staying at your place, you should be able to join in a conversation!”

Tia set down the tray, and everyone picked up a glass. “Good point,” she said. “So...what’s your next move?”

The room was silent as Luz thought for a few moments. She glanced down at the letter from Kade. “Well...we know Eda and Hooty are safe, and even though Owlbert isn’t safe, we at least know where he is. But King...he could be anywhere out there, all alone. We have to find him!”

“Are you sure?” asked Amity. “Doesn’t the letter tell you not to go looking for them?”

“It just says not to go looking for Eda,” Luz answered with a grin. “It doesn’t say anything about King. Besides, Eda would want to know he’s safe, too.”

“And if you run into any Inquisitors in the woods?” asked Gus.

“Don’t worry, it won’t be like last time,” Luz assured him. “I won’t go looking for trouble. I’ll go looking for King, but I’ll be sure to get out of there if any Inquisitors are nearby.”

“We’ll be coming with you, of course,” said Willow. “We wouldn’t want you getting into any scrapes you can’t get out of alone.”

Luz looked around at her four friends. “I wouldn’t have it any other way!” she said.

______________________________________________________________________

“This is a waste of our time,” Mandrake grumbled.

He, Loxton, and Grace all wandered through the woods near Eda’s house, trying to find where she had gone. “Yeah. She could be anywhere by now!” Loxton replied. “She’d ‘ave to be mad to stay ‘round here after what we did to ‘er.”

“Normally I’d agree, but I hear she’s a stubborn sort,” replied Mandrake. “Hey, Grace? Any idea where Eda went after we beat her up?”

Grace stood nearby. One got the feeling she was staring intently at something, despite her blindness. “Our destinies are tied,” she said. “Even worlds apart, two families have become one.”

Mandrake and Loxton both stared at her silently for a moment. “...Well, thank you for that wonderfully insightful comment,” Mandrake said. “Why did Belos put her on the team again?” he whispered to Loxton.

“I ‘eard a rumor she’s ‘is mother-in-law,” Loxton said. Both he and Mandrake shared a chuckle at this. “Still don’t explain much, does it?”

“It explains why she’s out here in the sticks with us,” Mandrake said. “I get the feeling big, bad Emperor Belos doesn’t like us very much.”

“Now why would that be?” said Loxton. “I’m a likable sort. You’re not ‘alf bad yourself.”

“Gee thanks,” Mandrake said. The remark was sarcastic, but he still smiled. “...How would you feel about teaming up?”

“Eh? We’re already on the same team, aren’t we?” Loxton said.

“But are we?” Mandrake said. “You and I both know that Belos is only using us. And don’t even get me started on Mattias. Just about every one of the other ‘Inquisitors’ would stab us in the back to get more power. If we watch each others’ backs, then maybe we can be the ones doing the stabbing. Sound good?”

Loxton thought for a moment, before grinning. “I do like stabbing!” he said, holding out his arm. “You got yerself a deal, ‘Drake!”

The two shook hands. “Good to hear! Always nice to know there’s at least one person I can count on,” said Mandrake. “Hey, Granny! What about you? You in?”

Grace had her arms clasped behind her back as she stared into the distance. “There is a storm coming,” she said. “And the human child will be unable to take shelter.”

Mandrake rolled his eyes. “What is it with you and these vaguely-worded prophecies?”

In response, Grace pointed out into the distance. Off on the horizon, several dark clouds were coalescing, headed towards the mainland. A storm  _ was _ coming.

“Ah,” Loxton said. “Acid rain. That’ll make searching this place a right pain, eh?”

“Maybe,” Mandrake said, thinking. “Or maybe it’ll make our job easier.”

“How d’you mean?”

“‘The human child will be unable to take shelter,’” Mandrake repeated. “I take it that means she’ll be caught out in the storm. She’ll be trapped, vulnerable. All we need to do is scoop her up and take her back to Belos. Once we bring her to him, we’ll be on the fast track to moving up in the world!”

Loxton laughed. “You’re one ruthless son of a hellhound, has anyone ever told you that?”

Mandrake grinned. “I get that a lot.”


End file.
